Going Back
by KateBB7
Summary: Danny's past comes back to haunt him in form of an old friend from his days in the Marine. A friend, he believed to be dead. Now, the consequences puts his loved ones at risk and he has to protect them from whoever is gunning for him. Upcoming sequel named 'Into the Dark'. Now completed.
1. Prologue

_AN - Hello, my fellow fans. I have a new summer treat for you, and I hope you like it. This idea has been running around my mind for ages, and I just had to post this, like a promise to my self to finish it later ;) I haven't forgotten about 'There is no Light' and the 'Calling Out' that I've promised you. Remember: all the stuff you read in this story is pure imagination and my take on how it could have happened - it might not be exact and most of the knowledge is from Wikipedia :) I own nothing but the characters you haven't met in the series before. Enjoy, and please leave a review with all the constructive criticism you can think of - I want to do my best for you. /K._

 **Going Back**

 **Fallujah District, Al Anbar, Iraq, November 2004  
** Everything was a blur, a haze in the choking dust and the stifling heat of the desert just a few miles to the north. The challenge of the long-distance travel on the mining roads had been the most opportunistic for the entering the city of mosques. More than half of the city's buildings had been destroyed already and a lot of American soldiers had been killed and wounded by the hands of al-Qaeda. Bullets were flying, men were screaming in agony, the few that were still alive. Danny Reagan ducked down low behind the remnants of a clay wall next to a few of his best buddies from his platoon. They had been more than three dozen strong before the attack, but only half a dozen had survived the last half an hour. Danny was ninety-three days into his second tour, based in Camp Baharia, popularly known as Camp Dreamland to him and his fellow marines. Support had been called in from Camp Snake Pit in Ramadi from the west and Camp Thunder, Baghdad International Air Base, seventy clicks east of the platoon's current position. They were pinned down and taking in fire from three sides. This part of the city was a strategic win for their enemies and it had no mercy for any intruders. Far to Danny's right, someone yelled something inexplicable. Only a moment before the hit, Danny realized it had only been a three letter abbreviation. He ducked down lower, covered his head with his arms and felt himself being lifted from the ground by the pressure wave from the RPG. He was carried a few yards away from the wall, flailing in the air and landing on his back, just in time to see the two Vipers fly in from the east. At once the combat helicopters opened fire at their enemies and a few seconds later, Humvees and AAV's joined them, spilling out more marines, whose job it was to locate survivors. Danny, shell-shocked from the RPG rolled onto his side and pushed himself up on his knees and elbows with a great deal of groaning and huffing.  
"Over here!" a young man yelled as he saw Danny move. Dust covered his face, streaks of sweat and blood trickled down and he was only grateful to the unknown marine that came to help him up. Danny was almost carried to one of the vehicles by two men, covered by another four. He was nearly thrown into cover just before the exhaustion hit him and he passed out.

A few days later he woke up in a medical tent in Baghdad. A medical officer informed him of his whereabouts and injuries, which consisted of a moderate concussion, a single graze from a bullet on his left arm and naturally the bumps and bruises. Camp Liberty served its purpose until he could travel home on medical leave the next week after recovering. He had been informed, that he was the only survivor of his platoon and one of the many wounded in the war. At that point he was just anxious to go home to Linda, three-year-old Jack and eight-months-old Sean. He was happy to go home, but not exactly rejoicing the next Sunday dinner. Frank was working cases, Mary was sick with cancer, Henry had retired from the force, Joe was four months out of the academy, Erin was almost through law school with Nicky turning eight in a few months and Jamie was still in high school. The past week Danny had been jumpy, easily scared and he couldn't sleep properly, without waking up in the middle of the night, screaming his lungs out.


	2. Chapter 1

_AN - Hello! And thank you very much for the bunch of reviews! I live and breathe for your appraisal ;) Here's the next chapter for you - I hope you enjoy it. Constructive criticism is always appreciated, as well as your reviews. Have fun reading. /K._

 **New York City, 54** **th** **precinct, June 13** **th  
** The sky had turned dark this close to midnight and the streets were lit up by the many lampposts and lights from windows. Danny had loosened his tie as he walked the familiar route to his car. He had just parted his ways with Baez, both of them tired after a long day of running down leads on their current cases. The streets were almost empty but it hummed with all the lives there were still awake. Danny unlocked the car and entered the driver's seat with a heavy sigh. He was just about to turn the key, when he saw an envelope on the passenger's seat. He grabbed it, hesitantly, looking out of the windows in search for someone suspicious before he opened the envelope. He glanced into the envelope, creased his eyebrows and tipped the contents out in his hand. A Velcro patch, bearing the insignia of his unit and a note with a phone number, hastily jotted down. Once again Danny looked around, twisting in his seat. He was the only survivor from his platoon, how anyone could have obtained this patch, was a mystery to him. He flashbacked to the moment that had haunted him for years, seeing the faces of his fellow marines. He gasped and snapped out of it by shaking his head and then he dug out the phone from his pocket. With shaking fingers, he entered the digits and clamped his eyes shut for a few seconds. He breathed out, opened his eyes and pressed the call button. After a single ring the line was picked up and a man answered. There was quiet instrumental music in the background.  
" _Danny,_ " the hoarse voice sounded like rough sandpaper but definitely familiar. Once again he was reminded of his second tour, but he still couldn't place the voice.  
"Who is this?" he asked quietly, trying to remember, but the memory kept moving away from him.  
" _I need your help,_ " the voice said. The accent was non distinct, like a person who had been all over the world and lost his original accent somewhere along the way.  
"What do you want?" Danny asked, growing more suspicious. An eerie feeling started to form in the pit of his stomach.  
" _Scotty's Diner on 336 Lexington Avenue. I'm waiting,_ " the voice stated with a tired sigh. Like all hope had abandoned the person.  
"Who are you?" Danny asked again, this time more demanding.  
" _I need help,_ " the voice stated somberly and then the call was disconnected. Danny was left baffled for a few minutes and looked at his phone again. This time he hit speed dial.  
" _Hey, Danny, what's up?_ " Jamie asked, cheerful albeit a bit tired. Danny sighed, he could already feel the tension building up in his shoulders.  
"Hey, kid… are you on patrol tonight?" Danny asked his younger brother.  
" _I am… why do you ask?_ " Jamie replied thoughtfully.  
"All right… listen, Lexington Avenue is in your district, right?" he asked, matter-of-factly.  
" _Yeah, it is. What's this about, Danny?_ " Jamie responded, curiousness in his voice. Danny hesitated.  
"Do you have to answer all my questions with your own questions?" Danny growled unintentionally and sighed. "I'm sorry… if you're not too busy, can you meet me there in fifteen minutes? Outside Scotty's Diner," he asked and massaged his temples. He already knew he was too tired for this and asking his kid brother for help, it was very much unlike him. Jamie was quiet for a few moments, considering and wondering.  
" _Sure, we'll be across the street in three minutes,_ " he stated, clearly put on edge by his brother's attitude.  
"Thanks, kid," Danny said, sounding a bit relieved and disconnected the call.

 **Lexington Avenue, midnight, June 13** **th  
** "12-David to Central," Jamie called over the radio after he had parked their car.  
" _Go ahead, 12-David,_ " came the response.  
"Central, put us down for a personal on 336 Lexington Avenue," Jamie replied, eying the diner.  
" _12-David, 10-4 on personal,_ " the command center replied and Jamie turned the volume down on their radio.  
"He sounded… weird, like he was spooked by something," Jamie pondered. Eddie had locked her eyes on the front of the diner, which was a 24 hour eating place.  
"Is it work or family, you think?" she asked her partner, still keeping her eyes firmly on the front.  
"I'm not sure… I guess we'll find out," he said when he saw Danny approach the car in the side view mirror. The two officers exited the car and met Danny on the sidewalk.  
"Janko," Danny nodded uptight and twisted his hands.  
"Hey," Eddie replied with a calming smile.  
"Danny, what's going on?" Jamie asked and looked at his brother, worryingly. Danny looked around, making sure nobody was close enough to hear them. Jamie and Eddie mimicked, although they didn't know what or who they were looking for. Danny dug down into his pocket and handed Jamie the Velcro patch.  
"What is that?" Eddie asked curiously and Jamie showed it to her.  
"It's an armband for a certain platoon in the Marine Core," Jamie explained. He knew his way around the military symbols and this one made him understand why Danny was on edge.  
"It was in an envelope on the passenger seat in my car," Danny explained when Jamie looked at him, questions in his eyes.  
"It isn't yours?" Jamie asked surprised. Danny shook his head and glanced over Jamie's shoulder to look at the diner.  
"There was a note with a phone number too. I called it and a man answered. He sounded familiar, but there's something about it. He said, he needed my help," Danny said, getting more annoyed by the minute. Jamie's eyes grew big in wonder and then squinted suspiciously. He handed the patch back to Danny.  
"You're going to meet him? In there? I don't like it, Danny," Jamie said in skepticism. Eddie was looking from one Reagan to another and she saw the tension in the oldest and the growing strain in the youngest.  
"That's why I called you, kid, I don't like it anymore than you, but I can't pass on it and I can't call in the cavalry for a doubtful phone call," Danny replied and sighed. Jamie breathed out slowly and thoughtfully and then nodded.  
"All right… where do you want us?" Jamie asked, standing a little bit taller. Danny glanced at the diner again.  
"Just wait here," Danny said and moved past the two officers.  
"What's going on?" Eddie asked when Danny crossed the street. Jamie followed his brother with his eyes and sighed.  
"Danny's a marine, two tours in Fallujah in '03 and '04. On the second tour, his platoon was attacked and only Danny made it out alive. The arm patch was his units emblem… no one should have one like it," Jamie explained just as Danny reached the door.  
"Oh…" Eddie mumbled when she realized what was going on.  
"Yeah," Jamie countered uneasily.

Danny pulled open the door and the smell of deep-fried food hit him. The long, narrow room looked endless with the kitchen on the right side, stacked with all kind of supplies and booths to the left, fitting two people on each side of the table. Only a few customers had occupied the seats and Danny's eyes glanced over all of them in turn. He nodded to the middle aged guy behind the counter and continued down the aisle. In the last booth on the left he did a perfect double take. A scruffy, jumpy man raised his clear, blue eyes and looked right at him. Danny had to swallow the lump in his throat and remind himself how to walk.  
"Danny Reagan," the man said with the same hoarse voice from the phone call and a cheerful yet subdued face. The dark brown, unkempt hair just touched the collar of the dull, grey shirt. Danny hesitated, he had to find support on the chair back because his legs felt wobbly.  
"David Garcia?" Danny mumbled in awe with all kinds of emotions running through him. "I…. I thought you died… how..?" he continued and kept starring at the man in front of him. It was David, no doubt about that, a decade older, a bit more weary and… timid?  
"You and me both," David agreed and ignored the question. He was sitting straight in the chair and kept his hands in the pockets of the jumper he was wearing, not touching the mug of coffee, someone had planted in front of him.  
"What are you doing in New York?" Danny asked, trying to shake of the surprise.  
"Walk with me," David only replied and got up in an awkward motion and moved past the still bewildered Danny with a limp on his left leg. Danny set in motion just as one of the other guests got to his feet and almost bumped into David. Almost, because his movements was promptly stopped by David who grabbed the big man's left arm, twisted it around the man's back, kneed him in the stomach and kicked the feet away from under him so the man landed on his stomach. Danny had barely moved, hardly even reacted the first two seconds. David was bending over the man with a knee on the back of him, the man was moaning and whining about the pain in his arm. Everybody's eyes were resting on David. Then Danny reacted and moved forward to haul David of the man. But as soon as Danny felt the fabric under his fingers, David swiveled around, pulled a gun out from nowhere and pointed it straight at Danny's face. That was when the remaining guests freaked out and ran for the door. Danny didn't move, he hardly breathed. It wasn't the first time, he had been in front of a gun, but he was rattled and when he looked past it, into David's wild eyes, he saw another man than the one he knew a decade ago. The only way out was behind David and the last couple of guests and the two workers were frozen behind Danny. The big man David had knocked to the floor scrambled to the door. Danny took a careful step back and lifted his hands to show David that he wasn't going to do anything.  
"Hey…" Danny said carefully, warningly. David breathed rapidly and superficial and his eyes didn't even seem to recognize Danny.

"Hey, hey, hey…" Jamie mumbled when he saw half a dozen people running out of the diner. Both he and Eddie had been leaning on the hood of the car, talking and waiting.  
"That doesn't look good," Eddie complied when they pushed off the car and crossed the road, ready to draw their weapons if needed. They lined up against the wall and peeked inside, deciding to draw their weapons.  
"Not good at all," Jamie replied and pressed the call button on his shoulder mike.  
"12-David to Central, requesting back-up at 336 Lexington Avenue to a 10-85 forthwith. One armed suspect, five civilians and a plainclothes detective inside," he reported without moving his eyes from the back of the man Danny was talking to.  
" _Copy on 10-85 at 336 Lexington Avenue, sending back-up,_ " the dispatcher replied.*  
"Who the hell is that?" Eddie asked in wonder. Jamie shrugged and moved his eyes to Danny. His eyes were frantic when they met Jamie's over the man's shoulder and his hand moved discreetly, the universal sign for wait or pause.  
"We have to do something," Jamie sighed frustrated, feeling the panic creeping up his spine.  
"Jamie... Jamie," Eddie tried to capture his concentration. When he briefly looked at her, she shook her head, expecting him to understand. "You can't just go in there, guns blazing and all… remember what you told Sergeant Mulvey? Remember that, now, and think," she spoke fast and quiet, and she saw the impact her words did on him. He nodded and breathed out slowly, almost counting to ten.

"David, listen to me," Danny tried carefully. Apparently he suffered a much more severe psychological trauma than Danny and he wasn't about to just jump the guy and hope for the best. David moved briskly back and forth on the narrow aisle but the gun didn't waver from pointing straight at Danny.  
"Why are you doing this to me?" David cried out, clearly spooked and triggered to somewhere else, sometime else.  
"David, I'm not going to hurt you… you're my friend, remember? We were in the Marine Core, we served together," Danny begged, hoping he could generate enough memories. David's eyes flickered hesitantly. "I'm Danny… Danny Reagan… I'm your friend, David, you can relax," Danny continued in a low voice, keeping David's attention on him. Then sirens started to howl and the fury in David's eyes was reignited as he turned around with a roar, heaving the gun around to face the new challenges. Danny launched forward, reaching for the gun, David spun around, dragging Danny around him, both of them scrambled for the gun, they tripped over their feet, fell to the ground and the gun went off between them. People screamed, the door was flung open, Jamie and Eddie burst inside and saw the bundle of limbs on the floor, a pool of blood growing around the motionless men.


	3. Chapter 2

_AN - Hello! Here's the next installment. Not too much action in this one - just a lot of uncertainty. If there is anything I can do better, please, leave a review. I hope you like it. /K._

 **Lexington Avenue, past midnight, June 14** **th  
** "Danny!" Jamie almost yelled and Eddie more or less stopped dead in her tracks at the sight before them. They hurried down the narrow aisle, covering the humps on the floor with their weapons. Eddie checked for a pulse in the stranger's neck and shook her head while Jamie grabbed his brother's shoulders and turned him around.  
"12-David to Central, 10-13, officer down. Shots fired, suspect is down. I repeat, officer down at this location!" Eddie reported into the radio on her shoulder. She didn't hear the confirmation but concentrated on her partner and his brother. Danny's closed eyes didn't frighten Jamie nearly as much at the huge gash above his right eye. Blood streamed down his face and something white glared back at Jamie from underneath blood. Realization dawned upon him and he wanted to throw up.  
"No, no, no, this can't be happening," Jamie muttered under his breath. His brother had been grazed by a bullet! In the head! With trembling fingers he felt for a pulse in the crook of Danny's neck and almost sighed with relief when a tiny bit of the fear disappeared.  
"Jamie!" Eddie yelled to get her partner's attention. He tore his eyes from Danny to look at her for a second. "I called for a bus, it's a minute out," she told him when she stuffed a dishtowel in his hands. Jamie pressed it to the wound with shaking hands just as the door was flung open again and a sea of officers spilled through it, guns drawn and ready. Jamie hardly even realized they were there until Eddie pulled him away.  
"No… Danny… no… stop," he cried out when the paramedics stepped in and started working on the wounded detective.  
"Jamie, listen to me… Jamie… Jamie!" Eddie tried and had to yell at him once again before he looked at her. "You will go with him in the bus, all right, look at me, Jamie. You will call your family," Eddie had lowered her voice and kept her eyes on Jamie's. He kept looking over her shoulder, at Danny's still form, and nodded.  
"I-I can't c-call them," he mumbled, when he realized he was panicking. Eddie put a hand on his shoulders and turned his head to look at her again. She nodded and put a brave smile on her face.  
"Deep breaths, Reagan. Calm down," she said and did the breathing exercise with him. "Give me your phone, I'll take care of it. Deep breaths," she said once again.

 **Bay Ridge, 12.30 am, June 14** **th  
** Frank woke up with a jolt when his phone started shrilling in the silence. He knew these kind of calls was only of the bad kind and didn't actually want to answer but he flicked on the lights and grabbed the phone.  
"Garrett, what is it?" he asked in a gruff voice, tainted by sleep and worry.  
" _Frank… there's no easy way to say this…_ " the DCPI began hesitantly.  
"What is it?" Frank repeated again. He didn't like where this was going, but he hurried to his clothes.  
" _Uhm… before midnight, Officers Reagan and Janko called in a 10-85. One suspect, five civilians and a detective inside. Five minutes later, Officer Janko called in a 10-13. Early reports says a shot was fired and the suspect died,_ " Garrett reported. Frank didn't answer, he couldn't. The thought of losing his youngest son was devastating. He gulped down the lump in his throat and cleared it with a gruff sound.  
"Status?" he asked, already pacing on the floor in the bedroom.  
" _Unclear. Rushed to St. Vincent's,_ " Garrett replied. " _Be ready in five,_ " he continued and Frank disconnected the call. He was just about to toss the phone on the night stand when it shrilled again. His heart skipped a beat when he saw Jamie's picture and name on the caller ID.  
"Jamie! What happened? Are you all right?" he asked, his heart was racing all over the place.  
" _Commissioner?_ " came the careful response and Frank stopped dead in surprise, in horror.  
"Officer Janko?" he asked, when his brain finally started working again and he recognized the voice.  
" _Yes, Sir. Jamie is fine, I think. They are on the way to the hospital,_ " Eddie replied. There was something in her voice that put Frank on the edge.  
"They?" he asked suspiciously, now his heart was sprinting even more. Eddie went quiet for a second. "They?" Frank asked again, prompting her to respond.  
" _Detective Reagan… he was graced by a bullet… in the head…_ " Eddie sighed at last. Frank stopped moving and grabbed for the railing on the stairs. The plainclothes detective had been Danny. He had managed to put on clothes and move in a trance, since the first call woke him up, but now he had to sit down before his legs betrayed him. Once again he swallowed a lump in his throat and moved down the stairs on wobbly legs.  
"I'm on my way," he mumbled.  
" _And Detective Reagan's family, Sir?_ " Eddie asked, bringing him out of his trance, making him think.  
"Will you bring Linda and the boys to the hospital, please?" he asked, knowing that Linda would appreciate a familiar face.  
" _Of course, Sir,_ " Eddie replied.  
"Thank you, Officer Janko," he continued and lowered his hand. Henry materialized in the doorway.  
"Is it bad?" he asked, grumpily.  
"It's… Danny," Frank sighed, like it was an explanation, when he threw on his coat and hurried out the door.

 **Staten Island, 01.00 am, June 14** **th  
** Eddie froze as soon as she had knocked on the door. She hadn't thought about how she was going to tell Linda. She had met her only a couple of time, and being woken up by an officer at the door was most likely the worst nightmare ever. She breathed out when a light flickered inside the door and she heard the lock click. Linda opened the door and as soon as she saw Eddie her face cringed in fear.  
"Danny?" she asked, already on the verge of crying. Eddie swallowed a lump in her throat and nodded.  
"He was grazed by a bullet… in the head, he's in surgery now," Eddie said. Linda nodded silently and dried her eyes, snuffled a few times.  
"Come on inside, Eddie," she said and opened the door all the way up. Eddie closed it behind her when Linda jogged up the stairs. Eddie heard feet shuffling and low voices. She looked around the peaceful living room, which clearly was decorated by Linda. Feet padded on the stairs and Eddie turned to see the trio walk down, dressed in a hurry and hair still a mess.  
"You must be Jack and Sean?" Eddie smiled and took a step forward. The two young teenage boys nodded, sleepily and obviously scared. "I'm Eddie, Uncle Jamie's partner," she explained and they nodded again.  
"Is dad going to be all right?" Sean asked bluntly and Eddie hesitated.  
"I don't want to lie to you… it is bad," she replied honestly.  
"Come on, boys, we have to hurry," Linda rushed them along and smiled bravely at Eddie.

 **St. Vincent's, 02.00 am, June 14** **th  
** "Frank?" Linda called when she and the boys entered the waiting room. Eddie had dropped them of and would come inside as soon as she had parked the car. Frank turned around when he heard her voice.  
"He's still in surgery…" Frank mumbled in her hair when he hugged her tight. Jack and Sean were next in line. Since Frank had arrived, he had been pacing back and forth while Garrett had been on the phone, trying to sort out the media. "The doctors said that we should prepare ourselves for the worst," Frank said and had to pinch the bridge of his nose and breathe out slowly. All the tears Linda had been holding back threatened to break free when the door opened and Baez rushed in with a grim face full of guilt.  
"I came as soon as I heard… how is he?" she asked when she approached the Reagan's huddled together.  
"The doctors are not optimistic," Frank continued and glanced over at the other door. He swallowed a lump in his throat. "Even if he survives, we can't rule out any damage to the brain," he finished. It had been hard for him to say the last one. All he could do was remembering Joe. Eddie almost ran through the open door and then stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the group in the corner. That couldn't be any good news, she determined.  
"Sir," she snapped to attention, but relaxed immediately when Frank nodded and took a few steps towards her.  
"Thank you, Officer Janko," Frank said tensely and Eddie nodded.  
"Not good?" Eddie asked and glanced at Linda and Baez behind him. Frank shook his head. "And Jamie? Have you talked with him, yet?" she asked after swallowing a big lump in her throat.  
"He went to clean himself up…" Frank sighed. He had been too worried about Danny to even find the courage to talk with Jamie. He didn't know what to do, if Jamie saw his pain. Eddie nodded and straightened her back, ready to ask a question, but Frank cut her off. "Go," he nodded, sensing her intentions and then she hurried to the door. Not long after she got an update from a doctor and found the toilet where Jamie was sitting on the floor between the sinks with his knees pulled up to his chest. The sight of him felt like a punch in the stomach.  
"Jamie," she whispered when she kneeled in front of him and put her hands on his knees. He lifted his gaze and looked at her with red eyes and a pale face.  
"Danny?" he asked with a feeble voice. Eddie took a deep breath.  
"If he makes it through the surgery, they're talking about brain damage. That is, if he wakes up from coma," she said and looked him in the eyes. She had never seen him in this much pain. Jamie nodded distantly and lifted his shaking hands in front of him. He stared at the blood on his fingers. Danny's blood. Eddie grabbed his hands in hers and looked him in the eyes. "Let's get this off and go back, all right?" she asked calmly and helped him to his feet. It took them ten minutes to wash all the dried blood of his hands and they were silent all the time.  
"Thank you, Eddie," Jamie whispered when Eddie tore another paper towel out of the box on the wall and finished his face.  
"Don't mention it," she said absently when she ruffled his hair back to normal. She tried to smile, but it only became a grimace.  
"That's better," she commented and corrected his hair one last time before she opened the door. They walked back in silence and Jamie was practically assaulted by a tearful Erin when they came through the doors. The two of them hugged it out for a long time until Erin pulled away with a few sobs. Eddie turned to Frank and handed him Jamie's phone. "Keep an eye on him, please," she mumbled when Frank accepted the phone with a nod and Eddie left the waiting room. Renzulli was breathing down her neck, detectives wanted to know what happened in that diner and right now, she was the only one capable of answering.

 **St. Vincent's, 08.00 am, June 14** **th  
** Linda had fallen asleep in the early hours, like Jack and Sean, all of them exhausted and scared. Frank had stopped pacing and was sitting in the corner, eyes dry and back hurting. Henry had made and his entrance sometime in the middle of the night and was still up and walking every few minutes, the situation had made him more pale and ten years older in just a few hours. Nicky had folded herself together in a chair, looking at family photos on her phone. Baez and Erin had been staring into the air for the last few hours and Jamie had been walking back and forth in front of the door, still wearing his uniform. A doctor had informed them, that the surgery had gone well and it gave them more hope that he would survive though they were still worried about the possible damage to the brain.  
"Family of Detective Reagan?" a relatively young blonde asked when she opened the door. The whole family practically leapt to their feet, waiting in silence for the update. "I'm Dr. Callaghan, the neurologist treating Mr. Reagan. I've looked at the new scans of his brain and so far, they are still looking good. There is no bleeding, the swelling is minimal and I estimate that we're just looking at a very severe concussion," she reported. Linda almost started crying when she hugged her two boys. The relief that washed over them could fill the room with tears. "We're not out of the woods yet, and we are keeping him heavily sedated for a few more hours, to let the brain rest. If we don't run into any complications, you should be able to visit him in the afternoon," the blonde finished with a calm smile.  
"Thank you, Dr. Callaghan," Frank managed to choke out before she left.  
"I don't ever think I've been so scared in all of my life," Linda laughed nervously when Erin hugged her tightly. Frank had walked over to where Jamie had deflated on a chair and sat down next to him.  
"I think, she wants to know," he said in his normal low-key voice. Jamie turned his head to look at his father with a curious look in his eyes. Frank nodded to the phone in Jamie's hand. He had returned it to him earlier in the morning. "Officer Janko…" Frank explained. He knew that was what Jamie was thinking about. "Be sure to give her thanks from me," he continued and got to his feet again.  
"What for?" Jamie asked, still confused.  
"She'll know what for," Frank replied and gave Jamie a warm smile.


	4. Chapter 3

_AN - Hello, my dear readers! I hope you've had a great day, if not, read this - (guaranteed mood-booster). If you've indeed had a great day already, read it anyway - it made my day better to publish this :) What else makes my day better? Waking up tomorrow to read all your amazing reviews! I'm not kidding - you are simply the best! I know I promised more action in this chapter, but oh deer, it's hard to boil it all down so quickly. Too much backstory! You know the drill - read, enjoy, leave a review with the criticism and future plot twists. /K._

 **St. Vincent's,** **04.30 pm, June 14** **th  
** Danny woke up abruptly with a killer headache and squeezed his eyes shut to fight the nausea. He took in a sharp breath between his teeth and held it in for a while. He could hear a low murmur and then a door opening.  
"Danny," a calm voice said. Linda, he decided and breathed out slowly. If only the pounding in his head would stop, so he could think for a second. He groaned a weak response and lifted a tired hand to his head. Were someone deliberately driving a hot poker through his eyes, was all he could wonder. "Deep breaths, Danny. Painkillers will work soon," Linda said softly and grabbed his hand. As if on cue, the pain was reduced and Danny could finally open his eyes. Linda's face was hovering above him, she looked worn out and relieved.  
"Hey," he croaked with a cautious smile and wetted his dry lips.  
"Hey, yourself," Linda replied as her smile grew wider. He sighed and closed his eyes for a second.  
"What happened?" he asked when he fixed his eyes on Linda again. A flash of worry came over her face.  
"What do you remember?" Linda asked cautiously. Danny looked at her, confused, then thinking hard, starring into the air, digging into his memory.  
"I… I dropped you off at the hospital this morning," he hesitated and chased the memory.  
"Daniel, it's nice to see you awake," a fresh voice said and Linda straightened up. The blonde, young doctor smiled at him. She looked to be even younger than Jamie, Danny wondered hastily.  
"It's Danny… just Danny," he replied and the blonde nodded when she grabbed the clipboard from the wall and checked the stats on the screen.  
"Do you remember what day it is, Danny?" she asked and Danny had to think hard for a moment.  
"Tuesday," he replied when he looked up. The blonde's face didn't change and she went on to checking his pupils.  
"Danny, today is Wednesday and you've got a concussion. Last night, you were rushed into surgery because you had been shot… or grazed by a bullet, actually," she continued and Danny nodded, a bit confused.  
"Grazed…" he mumbled and Linda squeezed his hand.  
"In the head," she whispered, as if it was a sleeping bear. Danny moved his free hand to his head and noticed the thick bandage. His jaw dropped a little bit in wonder, amazement and relief. He had been shot in the head… and survived. He pinched the bridge of his nose when the head ache started to flame up again and sighed.  
"Great," he mumbled. "How did I get shot in the head, exactly?" he asked curiously and the doctor glanced at Linda. Silence between them but Linda nodded.  
"I'll come back later, to check up on you, Danny. Can I give your family the green light?" she asked the both of them and Linda nodded again. Then she left the room and Danny looked at his wife by his side. He didn't like where this was going.  
"What happened last night?" he asked again, a bit cautious.  
"We're not exactly sure… Jamie hasn't said anything and Eddie had been working ever since," Linda explained and Danny felt a surge in his stomach.  
"Jamie saw me get shot?" Danny asked, his face changed to an expression of horror. Linda sighed, clearly challenged on how to present the facts.  
"Danny," Linda sighed once again. "I don't know what happened, Jamie won't talk about it… you really scared me and the boys. I don't know what we would do, if all of this had been worse," Linda sobbed. The door opened and feet shuffled inside.  
"Dad!" the two boys yelled and ran into the room.  
"Hey, guys! What are you up to?" Danny laughed when he hugged his two sons tightly. He caught a glimpse of Frank before he closed his eyes. For seconds he clung onto them as for dear life. "I love you so much," he whispered into their ears. Sean pulled away after Jack and they both looked at their father with sadness in their eyes.  
"Does it hurt, dad?" Sean asked with his young and naïve ignorance. Danny nodded and had to hold back a smile.  
"It hurts a lot, Sean, but it's already a lot better, because you are here," Danny said and smiled at his two boys. "Why don't you go with mom to get a snack?" Danny asked them and Linda got to her feet. Jack and Sean followed her out without a word, knowing that Danny was going to talk with Frank.  
"Is Jamie all right?" Danny asked as soon as the door was closed. Frank looked at him for a second and then sighed a bit resignedly.  
"He's holding on for the time being," Frank replied and Danny sunk a bit into the pillows disheartened.  
"You do know that I have to know what happened, right?" Danny asked a bit distantly, when he rubbed his temples. Frank nodded, he had expected that Danny would haul himself through a third degree questioning even to his own dad.  
"At 11:56 pm Jamie called in a personal. Twelve minutes later he called in a 10-85," Frank said without batting an eye. He took a seat in the chair next to the bed. "One armed suspect, five civilians and a plainclothes detective," he continued and saw as Danny gaped. "Two minutes after that, Officer Janko called in a 10-13. Suspect was killed at scene by the same bullet that grazed you. We're still waiting for the prints to come back," Frank finished. That was just about everything he knew. He had even tried pulling something out of Jamie, but he hadn't uttered a word.  
"Now, if you're up for it, I know Erin, Nicky and Detective Baez really want to see you. Jamie just went home to get out of his uniform, he'll be back soon," Frank said and as Danny nodded, still overwhelmed, Frank exited the room with his hands in his pockets. He drifted down the hallway, in his own train of thoughts, and collected himself before going through the door. Erin, who had been waiting as patiently as a Reagan could possibly do, jumped to her feet when Frank gave her the go-ahead-nod.

 **St. Vincent's, 05.00 pm, June 14** **th  
** The Reagan's had all scattered out, most of them had gone home to freshen up and eat. Frank hadn't left the hospital since he'd arrived and he was pretty tired by now.  
"Commissioner," Eddie asked when she approached him from the side. He realized he had been standing in front of the coffee machine for a few minutes and he blinked absently before turning to the officer with an inquiring glance. She was not in uniform, but she was sporting her shield and weapon and had a folder in her hands.  
"Officer Janko," Frank greeted.  
"How's he?" she asked genuinely concerned.  
"Memory is a little hazy, but the doctor says he'll be fine with a few days rest…" Frank answered and dropped his hands in his pockets.  
"That's great," she said with a smile, although she knew it would be hard for Danny to relax. "And Jamie?"  
"Quiet. He'll come around when he's ready," he replied and Eddie nodded, thoughtfully. Is that why you're here?" he continued and shifted his gaze to the folder. She nodded and handed it to him.  
"How much do you know?" she asked, unsure if he had heard anything from Jamie.  
"Not enough, I guess," he replied with a curious look in his eyes. Eddie took in a deep breath and started from the beginning. How Danny had found the patch and the phone number in his car, the call to Jamie the talk outside the diner and how it had turned out. She also explained how Renzulli had assigned her, temporarily, to the detectives working the case and how they had searched for the dead man's prints, as he was still alive. Eddie had suggested expanding it to 'deceased' as well, and the results came back positive as David Garcia, K.I.A., November 2004, Fallujah. Meanwhile she had talked, Frank had been leafing through the papers, reading the reports and the jacket on David Garcia. He even looked at a few of the crime scene photos, although they disturbed his stomach more than any other crime scene.  
"So the hospital should have the armband with his personal belongings. But how Garcia was still alive, let alone in the states, when his file says otherwise I can't really figure out," she finished with a sigh.  
"This is great work, Officer Janko," Frank said, speculating on the same subject as well. There was something about it, which screamed for attention, but he couldn't put a finger on it.  
"Thank you, Sir," she replied a little taken aback by the praise from the police commissioner himself.

 **Somewhere in New York City, 06.00 pm, June 14** **th  
** "You must be joking, my friend," the big said in disbelief with a laugh and a heavy Russian accent. He leaned back in the armchair and lifted the little glass with clear fluid in it. "He had one job… I mean, how hard can it be to pick up and deliver a memory card?" he asked his two underlings rhetorically without taking his eyes of the glass. They were scared of the man and what he could do. They didn't even dare to look at him directly when he spoke and they knew better than to talk in his presence. The big man downed the content of the glass at once and sighed, much more satisfied. He placed the glass on the table and filled it up again, right to the top. "You said his body was in the city morgue?" he asked, more quietly. "Get it for me… if I can't have what I paid the damn _'suka_ for, then I'll have him, _blyad_ ," the man swore and enhanced his rage by pounding his fist down on the table in front of him, so the clear fluid spilled to the table. " _Idti, mudak_ ," he growled and the two underlings retreated out the door.

 **St. Vincent's, 08.00 pm, June 14** **th  
** Danny woke up with a twitch when the door opened and he saw Jamie walk inside hesitantly.  
"Hey, kid, where've you been?" he asked with a smile, already trying to cheer his baby brother up. The look in Jamie's eyes made his heart sink. Poor kid, he thought, when Jamie found a smile from far away.  
"What? Are you going to blame me, because you've been sleeping like a baby all day? You haven't even noticed the three other times I've been in here," Jamie countered cheerfully and pulled the chair to the bed side.  
"I'm sorry, it won't happen again, kid," Danny smiled and moved a little bit. "How are you doing?" he continued and saw Jamie's face falter for less than a second.  
"Isn't it normally the other way around, considering that you are in a hospital bed?" Jamie asked with a smile that crumbled when he saw the look on Danny's face. Jamie sighed and looked down for a brief moment. "I'm fine, Danny, don't worry about me," he continued and looked at his older brother again.  
"It's my job to worry about my baby brother," Danny replied with a snort and a smile before his face turned serious again. "I can't even imagine what went through your mind," Danny said when he shook his head in disbelief.  
"Joe…" Jamie almost whispered. "I was so scared that I would lose you, just like I lost Joe," he confessed. "I couldn't go through that again. If Eddie hadn't been there, I would have crept into the corner and cried," Jamie sighed. "I know we're not close, like Joe and I were, but who would push me to my limits if you were not around?" Jamie asked with a small smile and glassy eyes. "Even though you can be a giant pain in the ass and you know which buttons to push, I still love you, Danny," Jamie finished.  
"Yeah, I'm good like that," Danny smirked and Jamie glared at him. "Hey, kid… I love you, too, don't ever think otherwise," he replied and smiled. They sat in silence for a few moments until Danny fell back into sleep. Jamie stayed in the chair until a nurse chased him out around midnight.


	5. Chapter 4

_AN - Hello! I really hope, you enjoyed the last chapter. Geez, it's really hard to get all the details written down. And the backstory. Nearly there, though. Enjoy this chapter and let me know what I can do better. There was a few words I was insecure about, but please, let me know if something is out of context. Have fun. /K._

 **Camp Baharia, Al Anbar, Iraq, November 2004, three days before the attack  
** "You really think, you can outrun me, Price?" Danny laughed with the men around him and punched the younger black man on the arm, playfully.  
"Any day, Yankee…" he responded with a boasting rumble of a laugh, until Danny cut him off with a raised hand.  
"Hey, hey, hey… don't insult me, Mike. Yankee's are baseball. I'm a hardcore Jets fan, it's football, get it?" Danny lectured. No one dared to make that mistake twice. An no one dared to talk grimly about the Jets, when he was in earshot.  
"As I said…" Price continued, unaffected by the interruption. "You're almost a decade older than most of us. And with full gear on," the majority of the guys sitting around the table laughed and whistled, impressed. "You'll be lucky to cross the 5K finish line," Michael Price continued. He was just about two inches taller than Danny but scrawnier than a scarecrow. Danny leaned back in his seat and looked at the guy.  
"All right… tomorrow morning, you and me, 5K. Winner gets the glory," Danny suggested and stretched out his hand to make it a deal. He grinned when his opponent hesitated for a moment before shaking his hand. "Don't start whining, when I kick your ass into next week. I don't want to hear about how you lost a race to a ten year older white man," Danny warned him and they all broke out in a loud laugh.  
"I think a bet is in place," David Garcia yelled from across the table to outshout the laughter. "I put five bottles on Danny being the winner," he continued in his distinct Mexican accent, and lifted the beer bottle.  
"Wow, wow, wow, Dave," Price interrupted and held two fingers in the air. "One. I'm going to win the race. Don't waste five bottles on that. Two. This alcohol free horse piss isn't worth any kind of bet," they all laughed again and toasted with their beers held high.

 **St. Vincent's, 08.00 am, June 15** **th  
** "Baez! Just the person I wanted to see," Danny exclaimed from his spot on the bed. "Hey, can you do me a favor and get me out of here?" he almost whispered, although she was here to pick him up. Truth was, being confined to a single room wasn't one of his favorites. He didn't have the mental energy to sit still for long. Baez knew he was like a bear in a cage, but she only smiled at him.  
"I never thought I would actually see you this stir crazy, Danny," she laughed at his pained expression.  
"What do you mean? This is like… what do you call it, deprivation of freedom," he complained and huffed when he leaned back in the pillows. "I need to get out of here, I have to figure out why Garcia came to me," he continued. "I don't have time to just lie in bed all day," he finished and grossed his arms in defiance.  
"An impatient Reagan!" Baez faked surprise. "I'm shocked," she giggled.  
"Yeah, that's what we all have in common," Danny growled.  
"Not Jamie," Baez said with a shrug and Danny huffed.  
"Just… get me out of here," Danny sighed when she left the room again to get the discharging papers sorted out.

 **5** **th** **Avenue, 09.00 am, June 15** **th  
** Jamie had zoned out for a few seconds, just looking at a spot in the air in front of him. He was leaning on the hood of the car, from where he had been observing the street before him. The busy morning rush hour traffic had almost hypnotized him, until his partner tore him out of the trance.  
"Jamie?" Eddie had asked, trying to get his attention. It must have been the second or third time she had spoken his name, since she had used his first name.  
"Yeah, sorry, what?" he asked when he turned to look at her, blinking his eyes a few times.  
"Coffee?" she asked him and held out a foam cup for him to take. It had been her turn to pay for coffee and they had parked nearby their favorite food cart. It was in both their opinions the best coffee on the streets of New York City.  
"Oh, yeah, thanks," he replied and thankfully accepted the cup. He distantly brought to his lips and sipped at it before he lowered it again.  
"He's fine, Jamie," Eddie tried to encourage him. "You said it yourself, he's been discharged this morning," Eddie said convincingly. Jamie had been quiet in the two hours they had been back on tour, except for a few sentences with one syllable words and the distant hums.  
"Against doctor's advice," he replied sourly when his eyes fell on a black Escalade further down the street, parked by the curb. All the windows were tinted black and the car was polished to perfection.  
"I know, but that's just how Danny is, right? It takes a special kind of patience to work a stakeout with him," she continued with a cheerful voice and sipped at her own coffee.  
"Yeah, he can drive anybody crazy, when he's locked in a tiny space," Jamie conceded and couldn't stop the corner of his mouth turning upwards.  
"Any progress on his memory?" Eddie asked a few seconds later, contemplating the problem. Jamie shook his head, staring ahead of him, but keeping an eye on his surroundings. Like Renzulli had told him on his first week, the art of doing nothing – to observe the city. "How are you holding up?" Eddie asked, this time more quiet, like she didn't want anybody else to listen in on their conversation.  
"I wasn't the one to get shot in the head," he commented drily and Eddie sighed at his response, like he wasn't taking it seriously.  
"You know what I meant," she continued and sipped at her coffee again. "It must have brought back some memories," she said.  
"Yeah, it did…" Jamie said and trailed off.  
" _12-David, please respond to a 10-21 on 44 East 14_ _th_ _street,_ " their radios crackled on their shoulders.  
"That's just around the corner," Eddie quipped as they both rushed into the car.  
"12-David to Central, show us responding," Jamie replied into his shoulder mike hit the lights and sirens before he scooted out on the street.

 **54** **th** **precinct, 09.30 am, June 15** **th  
** "Detective Reagan," Lieutenant Carver yelled from her glass office, when Danny approached his desk with Baez trailing behind him. Baez had, since they left the hospital, tried to convince the stubborn Detective to not return to the precinct, but actually go home. She had concluded that it was useless to work against him, so she had given in on his order. Carver stopped outside the door, with a grim expression in her face.  
"I know, I know, it won't take long, I just need to remember," Danny said when he leaned over his desk and started typing away on the keyboard.  
"Maybe you should remember, that you actually have three days off… it's called medical leave for a reason," Carver growled at him.  
"That, I do remember," Danny replied distantly.  
"I should have just suspended you," Carver sighed and dropped her shoulders.  
"But that wouldn't stop me either and you know that," Danny said and straightened up. He grabbed hold of the back of his chair and screwed his eyes shut when the room started spinning.  
"Danny?" Baez asked and took a step forward from her spot at the pillar.  
"I'm fine… just a passing wave," he sighed and blinked a few times. He could feel a headache tiptoeing into the base of his skull and above his temples.  
"That's it, Reagan. Baez, you take him home now, even if you have to cuff the idiot and toss the key away," Carver exclaimed and Baez nodded.  
"You're a great boss, Lieutenant," Danny said with a smile, when he was lead away by his partner soft grip on his elbow. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see the cringe on Carver's face.  
"You really know how to piss her off, Danny," Baez whispered when they reached the lift.  
"Yeah, one of my specialties," Danny smirked at his partner. "We have to get over to the 12th. I need to talk with those detectives, that closed my case," he continued when they stepped into the lift. No way was he using the stairs today.  
"What? No, Reagan, I'm taking you home, I'm sure your family would disapprove," Baez tried again.  
"Me too," Danny grumbled when the lift pinged and the door opened.  
"Christ, Danny, you were shot in the head, you have a concussion," she continued when she followed him outside to the car.  
"I know, and it all comes back to David Garcia, a friend of mine who I thought to be dead. I met him for a reason, which I have to remember. 12th precinct, Baez," he said when he grabbed the handle on the car. She hesitated for a moment. "I could just drive there myself," he suggested, knowing that she would not allow that.  
"Fine. 12th precinct and then I'll drive you home," Baez agreed and unlocked the car. Danny smiled at her, but didn't reply.

 **12** **th** **precinct, 10.00 am, June 15** **th  
** "Knock, knock," Danny said when he leaned through the door to Sergeant Renzulli's office. The man looked up from his paperwork and leaned back in his chair when he took of his glasses.  
"Danny, what are you doing here?" Renzulli asked in wonder when the detective came in with Baez in tow.  
"He's supposed to be lying in his bed, taking care of that concussion," Baez sighed.  
"Yeah, yeah, I heard. I never thought I would see a man survive a shot to the head," Renzulli stated and nodded to the dressing on Danny's head.  
"It was just a graze," Danny explained and took a seat. "Listen, Serge, I need a favor," Danny continued. Renzulli looked at Baez for a second, his eyes confused.  
"Jamie's on patrol," the sergeant said, curios to see where this would lead.  
"It's not that. I need the case file from your detectives…" Danny said.  
"I don't know, if they would give them to you, the case is closed," Renzulli said, definitely not liking where this was going.  
"But they would let you take a look at them, right? Professional courtesy and everything," Danny fished.  
"I guess… I'll see what I can do," he replied and lifted the phone. After a brief, but persuasive conversation, apparently, he ended the call and nodded. "Ten minutes," he said and Danny smiled.

 **Union Square Park, 01.00 pm, June 15** **th  
** "This is a good sandwich," Eddie mumbled in between two mouthfuls. "Even with all that healthy green rabbit's food in it," she continued when she had swallowed.  
"It's called salad, not rabbit's food, Eddie," Jamie said. They had walked across the street on their meal break and were now sitting on a bench in the southern corner of the park. Pigeons were all over the ground in front of them, all of them knowing that eventually the crumbs would be left for them.  
"Whatever," Eddie said and took another bite. "I'm just saying this was not a bad choice," she continued and glanced at her partner.  
"I seem to recall that you were quite skeptic, until you realized you could have bacon in it," Jamie laughed after he swallowed a bite. He looked around for a second but his eyes darted back to the street when he saw a familiar car. The black, polished Escalade with the tinted windows. It could be another car, but it was parked the same way. He couldn't see if anyone was in there, but he made a mental note on the plates and stayed more vigilant, throughout his sandwich. Eddie too was quiet when she devoured the rest of the sandwich.  
"We never got to talk about that night," Eddie pointed out when she folded the sandwich paper into a ball and made a perfect shot to the trash can behind Jamie's shoulder.  
"I don't really feel like talking about it, Eddie," Jamie sighed and stretched to dump his ball of paper in the trash too.  
"All right…" she mumbled and changed the topic. "Did you hear Kara Walsh is studying for the Sergeants exam?" she asked and Jamie shook his head.  
"No, I haven't talked with her the last few weeks," Jamie admitted. He knew Eddie would have, as they shared the women's locker room. He also knew that Walsh was a great cop, but that incident with her partner could turn out to be a speed bump in her career  
"Let's get back on the street," Eddie said and started walking to the car. Jamie followed suit, a bit more cheerless than before. He glanced at the black car one last time and repeated the plate in his head. Maybe he was turning paranoid, but what if he wasn't, and the Escalade was actually following them. It could be a coincidence, which was now why he remembered the plate. But he had that feeling, the Reagan-gut, whispering that something was off about the car. There couldn't be that many black, polished, tinted windows Escalades in the city, right?


	6. Chapter 5

_AN - Hello, my wonderful readers! Since you've been so good to me today, I though you should be rewarded with the next chapter. I really appreciate all the feedback you give me! You are the best! So here, you have the second chapter today. I hope you'll enjoy reading it, as much as I love writing it. /K._ ****

 **Staten Island, 03.00 pm, June 15** **th  
** Danny was sprawled on the couch when Linda walked through the door with the boys in tow.  
"Dad!" Sean called, happy to see his father was home.  
"Sean," Linda scolded when Danny moved. "Dad's sleeping, he needs to rest," she said quietly.  
"I'm not sleeping," Danny mumbled and opened his eyes when he heaved himself upright. He had to blink a few times until he could see his surroundings. An almost full bottle of lukewarm beer on the coffee table, to boxes near his feet and a lot of files and folders spread out on the table next to the couch. He must have been sleeping since noon, he figured.  
"Danny," Linda said with a sigh when she took stock of the living room. "You're not supposed to work for three days," she complained and deposited the groceries on the table in the kitchen.  
"So everyone keeps telling me," Danny mumbled and rubbed his face. He closed all the folders when Jack and Sean came to sit next to him on the couch. "How's school, boys?" he asked with a more cheerful voice.  
"Yeah, and Jack promised, he would help me with algebra and geometry," Sean replied.  
"Well, you can't get any help from me anyw…" Danny trailed of, staring at the bunch of evidence bags. "That's it… help… he needed my help," he almost whispered and rummaged through them all until he found the ones he was looking for.  
"What?" Jack and Sean asked, confused. Danny grabbed his cell phone and one of the folders before he jumped to his feet and rushed up the stairs. He dialed Baez on the top and she answered on the second ring.  
"Baez, I need you to tell the lieutenant, that I'm reopening the case," he said, before she could even greet him.  
" _But…_ " she began but Danny cut her off.  
"I also need you to find out from Renzulli if the detectives working the case, Roscoe and Lowrey, looked into the key, Garcia was wearing around his neck," he ordered he when he found a laptop in the bedroom and booted it up.  
" _Okay, Danny, I'll do it, but you have to stay home. Concussion, remember?_ " Baez said when she was totally caught off guard.  
"What concussion?" Danny replied with a smile and disconnected the call before he tore open one of the evidence bags and tipped out its contents in his palm. He fidgeted the memory card into the slide in the laptop and waited for it to open. He sighed in despair when a box popped up and asked for a password. "Damn," he muttered and thought about guessing. But if he only had three guesses, he wouldn't take the change. He pulled the memory card out and fished out his ID card. He slipped it into the pocket behind his shield and held the other evidence bag up in the air. He ripped it open and shook out the key on a chain and studied it closer. He put it on and stuffed the key inside his shirt. It felt just like wearing his old dog tags. He was on his way out of the bedroom when he changed his mind and headed to the bathroom instead. A shower would be good and maybe he would throw down some food before he left.

 **12** **th** **precinct, 3.00 pm, June 15** **th  
** "Hey, Harvard, you have a moment?" Renzulli called from his office, when Jamie an Eddie walked inside. They had just finished their tour and were ready to kick their feet up.  
"I'll see you tonight, Janko," Jamie said and left her by the locker room doors.  
"Later, Reagan," she called back after him and pushed open the door. Jamie walked into Renzulli's office with his hat in his hand.  
"What's wrong, Serge?" Jamie asked when he saw the harsh face on his training officer.  
"Have a seat, Reagan," the older man began and sat down himself. "Your brother was in here earlier," he continued when Jamie had taken a seat. "He wanted the case files from the shooting, he was almost climbing the walls to get them," Renzulli said.  
"I don't understand… shouldn't he be home, resting?" Jamie asked, already getting agitated at his brother.  
"Yeah, I thought so too, but I gave him the files, you know how he can be, when he puts his mind to something," Renzulli said with half a smile. "Now, his partner just called me, asking if the detectives checked out a key," he continued and sighed.  
"So Danny is working the case," Jamie said with a sigh and rubbed his temples. Couldn't he just take the few days off and concentrate on getting better. He was running around with a concussion, for heaven's sake.  
"That would be my guess, yeah," Renzulli nodded and Jamie got to his feet.  
"Thanks, Serge," he replied and grabbed his hat again.  
"Anytime, Counselor," came the response before Jamie headed out the door and down to the locker rooms. He didn't rush to get changed, his mind was a completely other place right now, wondering and speculating, being angry at Danny for not taking his health seriously. When he finished changing he slung the bag over his shoulder and exited the room. He almost bumped into Kara Walsh, when turned around.  
"Hey, Jamie," she said with a cheerful smile. "Are you heading out?" she asked and Jamie nodded.  
"Yeah, just finished. Eddie told me, you're studying for the sergeant's exam," Jamie replied when walked towards the main entrance together.  
"It's crazy, right, Renzulli totally got my back," Kara beamed but then he smile faltered. "I heard about what happened, Jamie, I'm so sorry," she continued.  
"Nah, don't be. Danny survived and he's still a pain in the ass," Jamie said and surprised himself with a laugh. "Hey, Eddie and I are going for a few beers tonight, to catch up with the guys. Maybe you'll join us?" he asked, quickly steering the conversation onto another subject. They trotted down the steps and turned left on the street.  
"Sure, that would be great. Thanks, Jamie," she said and turned around when Jamie stopped. Jamie was looking across the road and she followed his line of sight. "What's wrong?" she asked, suddenly suspicious. She didn't know he was looking at the black escalade with the tinted windows that was parked across the street.  
"Huh?.. nothing, I just forgot my wallet… We'll see you tonight, right?" he asked as he started walking backwards and he smiled when she nodded. Then he turned around and jogged up the stairs again. He stopped inside the door and let go of the breath he'd been holding onto. That was the same black escalade he had seen earlier, he was sure of it. Why was it tailing him, he wondered. Once again, he breathed out slowly and loosened his shoulders before he walked out. Acting normal and not showing that he had spotted the tail. He waved down a cab to the subway station at 28th street. He got on the train to Union Square and walked the seven blocks north to his place, carefully looking out for any black escalades or other tails.

 **336 Lexington Avenue, 05.00 pm, June 15** **th  
** "Danny, are you sure about this?" Baez said with a pinch of worry in her voice and eyes. Danny didn't reply, he was standing in the middle of the diner, with a stack of photos in each hand. All of them taken that night and all of them reflected the dead body of David Garcia on the floor. The costumers in the booths were having an early dinner or just a late cup of coffee. He remembered it wasn't as busy three nights ago. The two workers had looked at him in recognition when he had walked through the door, but then they had turned back to their work. He looked down the aisle.  
"He was sitting right there when I came in," Danny explained and pointed to the last booth on the left. "Facing the front, keeping an eye on the door," he mumbled and walked down to the booth. First, he sat in the same place as Garcia had. Baez came closer and took up stance across him, leaning the side of the bench.  
"Witnesses confirmed that," Baez said when she glanced in the papers she was holding. Danny got to his feet and walked towards the door.  
"He needed my help… asked me to walk with him. So he got up and walked…" Danny began.  
"With a limp," Baez interjected.  
"With a limp," Danny confirmed and stopped in the middle.  
"He freaks out on a costumer and then pulls a gun on you," Baez said, still looking in the file.  
"Sirens…" Danny said and turned around to look at Baez. "He had PTSD written all over him, that's why he reacted like that," Danny realized. "We fought over the gun and it went off," he continued and pointed to the hole in the ceiling, right above him.  
"That's when Jamie and Eddie came in," Baez agreed and looked at Danny expectantly.  
"We have to find out what the key unlocks," Danny said and made a beeline for the door. He was out before Baez had the change to question him. She followed him out, a little bit weary from the last couple of days.  
"Danny, you do realize, that you have three days off, right?" she asked him when she slid into the driver's seat.  
"Yeah, you don't have to keep reminding me of that, Baez," Danny replied and Baez sighed.  
"Working with you has never been as exhausting as it is when you have a concussion. I think that bullet might have knocked something lose in there," she half joked. "Dragging me around half of the city, is bad enough when you are behind the wheel. In the passenger seat, you are just… amplified," she said when she decided on the right word.  
"Hey, I'm a good driver," Danny protested and rubbed his face.  
"Really, that's all you got from what I just said?" Baez asked exasperated. Danny smirked at her from the passenger seat.  
"But I am a good partner," he tried with a smile.  
"No comment," Baez said and tried to keep her face serious. Danny kept speculating about the help that Garcia needed from him. His memory jumped back to the phone call from his car.  
 _"_ _Danny,"  
_ _"_ _Who is this?"  
_ _"_ _I need your help,"  
_ _"_ _What do you want?"  
_ _"_ _Scotty's Diner on 336 Lexington Avenue. I'm waiting,"  
_ _"_ _Who are you?"  
_ _"_ _I need help,"  
_ David Garcia, marine, apparently not dead, strongly affected by PTSD, a disheveled look, finds Danny's cell phone number, breaks into his car and wants to meet because he needs Danny's help. Not just anybody's help, but Danny's help. The key kept bugging him and he could feel it on his skin under his clothes. Keeping it close. Like the memory card.

 **Somewhere in New York, 06.00 pm, June 15** **th  
** The angry man could have yelled, but his surprisingly calm stature surprised his underlings, his goons, and scared them more than any yelling could have done. Neither this time, had they dared to actually look at the man. Once again he downed a glass of clear fluid. Vodka could do wonders for the mood, and it always calmed his nerves. He must have downed half a bottle the last couple of days. This deal was leaving its marks on him. He had noticed the dark bags under his piercing, soul gazing, blue eyes. He couldn't even count the amount of hair that had turned grey above his ears. "He gave you the slip, _blyad_?" he asked, almost in a whisper. The two guys didn't move, didn't reply. They know better, than to actually make excuses. "How could it happen, that he gave you the slip in the subway. I thought you were better than that," the man quipped with his thick Russian accent. "At least, you did good, when you fetched the body. Did he have it? The memory card?" the big man asked. One of them opened to speak, but closed his mouth again. Telling the boss 'I don't know', was definitely not a good idea. It could, in worst case scenario get you killed. "Maybe he gave it to the _mudak_ he met with in the diner," the big man speculated. "Figure it out, _blyad_ ," he finished and had to pour himself another tiny shot of vodka.

 **Camp Baharia, Al Anbar, Iraq, November 2004, two days before the attack  
** His feet were pounding, his pulse was racing… and he was winning. Not by much, but he crossed the finish line almost a second before Michael Price. Danny laughed, the whole regiment was cheering and Price was panting behind him.  
" _Tonta_ , Danny! You're running like a white Michael Johnson at the World Championship!" David Garcia laughed excitedly. Danny smiled and high fived Garcia's hand. He turned around to Price and pointed at him.  
"No whining, Price!" he warned and both of them laughed.  
"All right, you win, brag all you want, Yankee," Price said and let go of a deep breath.  
"We can do it again tomorrow, if you want another shot?" Danny suggested, now jumping around on his feet, still feeling good. He was still out of breath, but he felt like he could do another lap around the camp. Price looked liked he thought about it for a few seconds then he wrinkled his nose and shook his head.  
"Nah, I'm good," his deep voice clanged. Danny gave him a pat on his sweaty back and turned to Garcia.  
"We could almost get drunk on all that beer," Danny joked.


	7. Chapter 6

_AN - Hello! I have to say, I'm on fire, this weekend. It's all just waiting in my fingers to by typed. Although I think they need a little break now... Thank you, for your amazing reviews, you are just perfect! It seems like I have succeeded in keeping you guessing. Please, enjoy this chapter. I wrote it, just for you, guys! (Almost:D) /K._ ****

 **McNulty's, 09.00 pm, June 15** **th  
** Jamie scooted through the double doors and was immediately surrounded by the heavy smell of people and beer in the stale air. He made a pit stop at the bar and retrieved a beer. People laughed all around him when he moved through the room to the usual spot finding Eddie and Kara already going at it with a couple of other guys from the precinct, laughing and yelling about movies.  
"Reagan, great, we need your expertise," Cosgrove called when his eyes fell on Jamie. The rest of the assembly around the table turned to greet him when he grabbed a chair from another table and placed it between Eddie and Perez.  
"What's the subject?" he asked with a smile and surprise himself by how calm he was. He hadn't seen the escalade since he dropped the tail in the subway, but he was still edgy. He had seen one of the men exit the car and follow him down while the car drove by. The man had been about his size, but heavier, wider, with dirty blond, messy hair and a tan leather jacket. He took a swig of his bottle and noticed the collection of empty ones, the four people had accumulated before he arrived  
"Who was the first JB?" Eddie asked from his left and Jamie smiled.  
"James Bond, of course, it was written in the fifties, recorded in the sixties. Jason Bourne was written in the seventies and filmed in…" he thought for a moment… "late eighties, I think. Bauer's from this century," he finished and Perez moaned.  
"Double-O-7 for the win," Eddie laughed and fist bumped Kara next to her.  
"Justin Bieber, however," Jamie started and laughed when the group broke into a loud sigh.  
"And which actor was the real Bond?" Kara piped in.  
"Well, Brosnan had too much charm, Moore wasn't serious enough. Connery had the confidence, but Craig seems more credible. If I say any more than that, my partner will grill me on the next tour," he laughed again and glanced at Eddie. He knew they would disagree, Jamie liked the classic and he knew Eddie would go for the latest actor. A loud laughter made him glance over his shoulder to look at the corner table. He turned, more obviously, when he caught a glimpse of a familiar leather jacket and he felt a chill rush down his back when he turned back.  
"Reagan, are you all right?" Eddie asked with a low voice, when she noticed he had stiffened up. Jamie nodded absently and forced himself to take another swig of his beer. The conversation went on for another ten minutes before Jamie got to his feet.  
"I have to go, see you tomorrow," he said and pushed his chair away. Eddie looked after him, but turned to Kara when she felt a hand on her arm.  
"He did the same thing, this afternoon," she whispered into her ear. Eddie glanced back at the door, thinking. Jamie might just need some space. This hadn't been one of the better weeks. She had been drafted by the two detectives on the case, because she knew what was going on, she had been a little bit disappointed when they had marked the case as closed. The bad guy was dead and no further investigation required. Jamie was dealing with it from the other side of the case and he seemed to still be dealing with the shock and panic it had caused. She worried about him, but decided to talk with him on tour the next day. If he still didn't feel like talking about it, she would take it from there, maybe slip him a card to the shrink she had gone to after her shooting.

 **Bay Ridge, 09.00 pm, June 15** **th  
** Frank was sitting in the kitchen, going over some files he had brought home when his phone shrilled on the table in front of him. He put the coffee cup down and picked up the phone.  
"Hello, Erin," he answered when he pulled the glasses of his nose.  
" _Dad?_ " she asked, sounding frustrated, tired… scared?  
"What's happened? Is Nicky all right?" he asked, suddenly alarmed by her voice.  
" _Yeah, she's fine, she's not home,_ " Erin sighed, relieved of that fact.  
"What's going on?" Frank pressed, only a little bit relieved.  
" _Someone broke into my place… tossed it… it doesn't look like they took something, though, but I'm not sure…_ " Erin finally revealed.  
"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Frank asked with a grave voice and Erin mumbled distantly on the other end.  
" _Yeah, I'm fine, I was working late, so I wasn't home… I called the police as soon as I got home. Uniforms are all over the place, right now,_ " Erin continued a bit absently. She would always be his girl but he wasn't accustomed to worry about her, like he had worried about his sons. He knew Erin could take care of herself, both in the court room and in a fight. He had made sure of that. Just like Danny and Joe had toughened up Jamie and the three of them had thought Nicky how to defend herself. Henry walked into the kitchen and refilled his coffee cup.  
"All right. Have one of the uniforms drive you down here, on my orders. I'll have Nicky brought here as well," Frank decided.  
" _Thank you, dad,_ " Erin replied and disconnected the call.  
"Is Erin all right, Francis?" Henry asked when his son lowered his phone. He was quiet for a few seconds until he sighed.  
"Her apartment was broken into. Trashed, but they apparently didn't take anything. Thank God, she was working late," he replied. He couldn't recall the last time he appreciated her job this much. He lifted his phone again and dialed Baker. She would get everything done in a heartbeat.  
"Those bastards," Henry huffed and took a seat across from his son. "They won't get any mercy from me, those cowards," he continued. He would make sure of that, himself, if he had to.  
" _Sir, how can I help?_ " Baker replied when she answered.  
"I need you to call campus security and have them locate Nicky. Also, get a unit up there to bring her back here, please," Frank said.  
" _Yes, Sir,_ " she hesitated for a second. " _Anything else?_ " she recovered quickly, but Frank noticed her pause.  
"Baker. You can start by telling me what's going on," he required. I thought he could hear her sigh on the other side.  
" _Just some rumors, that Detective Reagan is working on the shooting, Sir,_ " she finally replied. Frank held his breath, when he felt the annoyance and the concern in his stomach.  
"Thank you, Baker, that would be all," he replied and this time he was the one to disconnect the call.  
"What happened?" Henry asked. Nothing really got past him, not when it came to his family.  
"Danny's working a case…" Frank growled.  
"That sounds like something he would do," Henry said with a bit of laughter in his voice.  
"His own shooting," Frank continued with a sigh.  
"I can't say I'm surprised, Francis," Henry chuckled. Once again, Frank lifted his phone. This time he made a call to Danny's cell. The call was answered on the third ring by a hasty voice.  
" _Reagan,_ " Danny replied, sounding very concentrated.  
"What do you think you are doing, son?" Frank inquired with curiousness in his calm voice. Danny went silent for a few moments, probably punching the air or rubbing his face, because he knew he was caught. Frank could hear, he breathed out slowly.  
" _I couldn't stop thinking about Garcia… by the way, my partner is keeping me in a very tight leash and she isn't a fan of this, neither,_ " Danny said quickly. " _I remember what happened, dad. I have to work on this,_ " Danny said hopefully. Frank sighed. He knew he would have done the same exact thing. Maybe not to the extremes, like Danny, but a good way up there, indeed.  
"Danny, go home. I'm sure Linda is worried about you. The boys, too," Frank said, trying to convince his son one last time. "Don't make me send Pops to get you," he continued and Henry sniggered from his seat.  
" _I'm on my way… goodnight, dad,_ " Danny sighed, suddenly discouraged.  
"Goodnight, son," Frank replied and waited until he heard Danny disconnect the call.  
"Are you going to check up on Jamie, too?" Henry asked, referring to the phone calls with Erin and Danny.  
"No, I'm sure he's just fine, Pops," Frank let go of a breath. He wasn't sure he could deal with any more problems this week.  
"Of course he is," Henry voiced and turned back to nursing his cup of coffee.

 **Somewhere in New York, 09.00 pm, June 15** **th  
** "Tell me, Alexandr, it was not in the sister's place?" the big man asked. Alexandr looked down, hesitated. There was only a few inches left in the bottle of vodka.  
"No, _Ser_ ," he responded. The big man nodded. He had downed enough vodka to not show his fury, but he wanted the memory card. They were closing in on it. The guy who had sold it to him was furious too, he hadn't received his money. All this because of the _mudak_ they had found in a war zone more than a decade ago, half way around the world. He had had his fun with the body of the scrawny Mexican and every once in a while he would feed a piece of him to the dogs or the fish. Maybe even the snake, when it was hungry again. The guy had been very tough at first, even with a crushed leg, but when they had found his family, he changed for the better. Ever since, all the big man needed to motivate the Mexican was an old picture of his wife and newborn daughter. He had only explained what he would do to them one time, if the Mexican didn't give in and did the job. Oh, the joy it gave him, when he saw the color drain from the Mexican's face. Unlike him, the big man had no family to worry about. A blessing, he thought of it, because his enemies couldn't threaten him with anything.  
" _Otlichno_ ," he said and leaned back and let go of a breath. "Have Roma and Stas sit on the brother. If they get the opportunity, they can ask him a few questions. Vito and Igor can stay on the _mudak_ and his family. Next time they all leave the house, you can search through it, _chisto_?" the big man ordered. It wasn't much of a question. "Bring me that memory card, _blyad_ ," he finished and Alexandr left the room. The big man sighed and opened the drawer under his desk. He grabbed the picture and looked at the two pairs of piercing blue eyes from the boy and the girl on the old picture. Brother and sister, a long time ago. "Vika, I promise to make you proud," he whispered and placed the picture in the drawer again.

 **Staten Island, 10.00 pm, June 15** **th  
** "Danny, you can't just take off like that, you have a concussion," Linda growled when Danny came in through the door. The boys were nowhere to see, probably playing games in their rooms.  
"I know, I'm sorry… I just got caught up in the case," he apologized and placed a big kiss on her forehead before he let himself fall into the couch next to her.  
"You're lucky, that Baez is taking good care of you… you know, she called me right after you called her this afternoon and she's been texting me with updates on you all day," she said with a smile. That was the only thing that had stopped her, from making a call to either Danny or Frank. Danny turned his head to look at her.  
"Really? She did that?" he asked in amazement. Linda nodded and leaned her head on her husband's shoulder.  
"She's a good partner," she replied and smiled.  
"She is… and don't worry, haven't chased anyone today, only paper work and a lot of thinking," Danny said. "Worst of it is," he continued and caught the chain around his neck. "… I can't figure out, what this goes to," he said and looked at the key for the umpteenth time this day. Linda glanced at it and lifted her head.  
"That's for a gym locker," she explained and grabbed the key to study it closer. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure it looks like the keys we can rent for the lockers at the hospital. You know, those tall, noisy cabinets you find in gyms and in school hallways. Jack and Sean have the small ones with changeable codes," she explained. Danny looked at her, like she was from another planet.  
"I…" he began when he tried to move, but Linda pulled him back down.  
"Tomorrow, Danny," she said harshly and he nodded with a sigh.  
"I love you," he said with a smile and leaned back down in the couch  
"I love you back," Linda replied and leaned her head on his shoulder again.


	8. Chapter 7

_AN - Hello! Just because your are awesome, I raced myself to finish this chapter before midnight - and I made it, with half an hour left. Thank you for you amazing reviews, I don't know how many times I can say that. Enjoy this chapter - it will (I promise) be the last one in this weekend. /K._ ****

 **Bay Ridge, 07.00 am, June 16** **th  
** "Morning, grandpa," Erin called when she entered the kitchen.  
"Good morning," he replied and pushed a coffee cup across the table. "I see, you have calmed down again," he replied when she took a seat and accepted the coffee.  
"Yeah, but have to go back and make an inventory list. I've never seen anything like it, I mean it was three times as bad as Danny room when we were kids," she exaggerated and Henry chuckled.  
"He was a tornado compared to you and Jamie," Henry admitted, still chuckling. "Still is, for that matter," he commented and shook the paper in his hand out. Erin sighed, she would have scolded the detective herself, if dad hadn't already done it. At least it gave her something else to think about after she arrived.  
"Has dad left already? On a Saturday morning?" Erin asked and Henry nodded without removing his eyes from the paper. He was reading the latest column about the Jets. Erin finished the cup of coffee and she put the mug in the sink before she grabbed her bag and headed to the backdoor. "I'll see you later, grandpa. Nicky's is probably going to sleep in," she called and exited the door.  
"Later," Henry mumbled, concentrating deeply on the article.

 **12** **th** **precinct, 07.00 am, June 16** **th  
** "Janko!" Renzulli called when Eddie was walking down the hallway, ready for the today's tour.  
"Yes, serge?" she replied and met him halfway.  
"Have you seen Reagan this morning?" the older man asked and Eddie shook his head.  
"He's probably in the locker room," she said and her smile faltered when Renzulli shook his head.  
"He texted me last night," he said and handed Eddie his phone so she could read it herself.  
 _'_ _Serge, can we talk tomorrow? Need some help. –R'  
_ "What's is that supposed to mean?" Eddie asked, broadly confused.  
"I don't know… I thought you might know what it meant. He's not showed up yet and he hasn't called in sick. I can't get a hold of him and roll call is in ten minutes," he said and glanced distantly at his watch.  
"Does his family know anything?" she asked and yet again Renzulli shook his head. "He did act kind of strange yesterday," Eddie admitted and Renzulli pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh.  
"How?" he asked, almost barking it.  
"On tour he wasn't as focused as normal and Walsh followed him out later until he froze and ran back in. Came up with some lame excuse. And later, when we were having beers down at McNulty's he suddenly froze and said he had to go," Eddie explained, now getting more and more worried.  
"When was that?" Renzulli asked, alerted when he found the message on his phone again.  
"Couldn't have been more than nine thirty," Eddie replied.  
"That's the same time he texted me," Renzulli realized. "Something's wrong," he muttered and turned around to walk back to his office. Eddie followed him and closed the door behind her as Renzulli lifted the phone and dialed a number from memory. He pressed the speaker button and they waited.  
" _Commissioner's office,_ " Detective Baker answered.  
"Baker, it's Renzulli out of the 12th. Is he in?" Renzulli asked, trying not to sound too nervous.  
" _He's just arrived. I'll put you through,_ " she replied and there was a click before a pause and yet another click.  
" _Sergeant, it's a bit early, don't you think?_ " Frank asked his voice rough and grave.  
"Sir, you're on speaker, I got Janko with me. I don't want to worry you, but I have to know if you've heard anything from Jamie since yesterday," Renzulli said. The line went quiet for a few seconds, not with thinking, but worry.  
" _No, I haven't. What are you saying?_ " the commissioner asked, his voice now a little bit lower.  
"He was acting strange yesterday and he texted me last night that he needed some help today. He hasn't showed up for work or called in sick, either. To tell you the truth, we're pretty worried about him, Sir," Renzulli said and sat down in his chair silently. Eddie moved to take a seat in the one of the chairs in front of them.  
" _Do me a favor and drop by his place, please… it could be just a misunderstanding or something,_ " Frank said at last.  
"Yes, Sir," Renzulli replied.  
" _Baker will send you my cell number. Keep me posted, Renzulli,_ " Frank said and disconnected the call. Renzulli looked at Eddie, who was biting her lips nervously.  
"Let's go, Janko," he said and they left. A few minutes later they were on their way to the car.

 **Bay Ridge, 07.00 am, June 16** **th  
** Danny woke up, much more rested that yesterday and almost without a headache. Linda was already out of the bed, rummaging around downstairs and the boys were still sleeping, he guessed. He rushed through a shower and hurried downstairs, fretted that he wasn't carrying his weapon, he couldn't when he'd suffered a head trauma and still experienced dizziness.  
"Where are you off to, in such a hurry?" Linda called from the kitchen when she heard him jog down the stairs. He detoured into the coffee table and rifled through the bags of evidence again. He grabbed the one with a stamped ticket in it.  
"I've been thinking, about the key…" he said when he walked to the kitchen and grabbed an apple from the basket on the table. "Those lockers… could they be at a bus stop or something. This is a ticket from the Big Bus Tours stamped at the same day he wanted to meet with me," Danny said and handed Linda the bus ticket.  
"Sounds plausible, I mean, a place like that, should have lockers for the tourists, right?" she asked and kneaded the clump of dough on the table.  
"What are you making?" Danny asked, halfway through the apple.  
"It's a pie for tomorrow, after dinner," she said when Danny looked over her shoulder.  
"Delicious," he whispered and placed a kiss on her cheek. "I have to go, Baez should be here in a few," Danny said and tossed the apple core in the trash before he hurried out of the kitchen to have another look at the files.  
"Don't forget that Henry has the boys when I'm going to my parent today," she called after him.  
"Got it," he called back and she heard the door close and the house go quiet again. She sighed, why couldn't he just take those days off, she wondered yet again. He's a Reagan, that's why, her consciousness whispered and she smiled a bit.

 **Flatiron District, 07.30 am, June 16** **th  
** Eddie sighed in frustration when she exited the car and looked at her phone. "It's still going straight to voicemail," she said when Renzulli caught up with her and they walked into Jamie's building. They walked up the stairs in silence but their steps faltered when they saw the door to Jamie's apartment standing partly open.  
"Janko, look at that," Renzulli said and pointed to a drop of red on the floor right outside the door. They drew their weapons, expecting the worst behind the door, but hoping for the best. The sergeant pushed the door open a little bit and looked through the crack. He opened it all the way with his shoulder and moved in. The place had been trashed, to say the least. Pictures had been knocked to the floor, furniture had been knocked over, all the cupboards and drawers in the kitchen were open. The officers moved through the apartment and cleared the few rooms. Eddie was looking at a few splashes of blood on the wall in the hallway when Renzulli came back. "We'll hold it of the air, until I talked with the commissioner," he said, all tensed up, and dug into his pocket for his cell phone.

 **One Police Plaza, 07.45 am, June 16** **th  
** Frank had been trying to concentrate on the papers, the files and the folders in front of him. But his thoughts kept jumping back to Jamie. He almost jumped when his cell phone started to whine.  
"Commissioner Reagan," he answered and got to his feet to move over to the window. He liked looking at the city. His city.  
" _Frank… you might want to sit down,_ " Renzulli said. The use of his first name made him uneasy and he had to swallow a lump in his throat.  
"What is it, Anthony?" he asked, pushing the upcoming nausea aside.  
" _No Jamie, but the place is thrashed and…_ " Renzulli paused for a moment. " _We've found blood, but only a few stains of dried blood,_ " he finished and Frank had to swallow again.  
"Anything missing?" he asked, hoping for just another coincidence.  
" _Doesn't look like it… just a lot of unusual chaos in here,_ " the sergeant replied quietly when he had looked through the rooms again. He spotted the TV and a laptop on the floor.  
"Okay. Call it in and start canvassing. I'm on my way," Frank replied and disconnected the call. A few seconds later Baker knocked on the door and opened it straight away.  
"Sir, we have a problem," she said and Frank turned around, looking at her expectantly.  
"Seems like we have a lot of problems this week," he muttered to himself when he grabbed his suit jacket.  
"Bellevue reported just reported that they are missing a body," she continued.  
"So?" Frank asked, currently not seeing the connection.  
"The body belonged to David Garcia, Sir," she explained and Frank stopped dead in his tracks.  
"Damn," he whispered and took in a deep breath before letting it go. "Call my detail and have the techs ping Jamie's phone. And have Danny and Erin meet me at Jamie's place now," he said, with a great deal of pressure on the last word, and moved past her.  
"Yes, Sir," Baker responded and returned to her desk where she grabbed the phone.

 **7** **th** **Avenue, 09.30 pm, June 15** **th  
** Jamie pushed out of the door at the bar and headed right, around the corner. He glanced around before he found his cell phone and started typing. Just as he hit send, he glanced over his shoulder again. He saw the escalade on the other side of the road, parked at the curb and no tan leather jacket behind him. He walked right into the chest of a man, taller than himself, wider and with black hair. Not the tan jacket. The man grabbed Jamie's wrist and spun him around so his back was connected to the man and he had a firm grip around Jamie's arms behind his back.  
"Be quiet," the man said in a thick accent and clamped a hand over Jamie's mouth. The tan jacket came around the corner and ran up to them, Jamie still struggling to get free. Together the manhandled Jamie across the street and tossed him into the escalade, where the jacket taped Jamie's wrists together and placed a piece over his mouth. He tried to yell and scream when the other man, the widest, drove away. Not ten minutes later they stopped, to Jamie's surprise, in front of his apartment building and marched him up the stairs.

 **Camp Baharia, Al Anbar, Iraq, November 2004, two days before the attack  
** "Yo, Michael Johnson!" David Garcia called and whooped with a hand in the air when Danny strolled into the almost full mess hall. The remainder of the marines voiced in and for a few moments they all cheered ' _Reagan_ ' followed by three rhythmic stomps and repeated the chant until Danny slid into the bench across from David.  
"Garcia, it's so nice that you can get the crowd going," Danny laughed.  
"Yeah, yeah, my wife didn't believe me when I called her this morning and told her about the bet I'd won," David told him cheerfully.  
"I'll tell her myself, next time. How is she by the way? And the little one?" Danny asked. He had remembered that David's daughter was eight months, just like Sean.  
"Beatrice is working hard and little CJ is just perfect," David beamed. He had that glow of first-time parent's pride around him, when he talked about his daughter. "Here, look at this, I printed it this morning," he continued and leaned closer when he unfolded a piece of paper. Danny smiled when he saw the chubby little girl in the arms of the beautiful young blonde, David had married a year ago.  
"They are perfect," Danny agreed and felt a sting in his own heart. It had only been ninety-one days since he'd left his own family. He wouldn't get to see them the next hundred and twenty days either. Not to mention, if Mary's health made a turn for the worse. Danny shook the thought of him and looked at the picture again.


	9. Chapter 8

_AN - Hello! Thank you so much for all your reviews this weekend. The end is near, my dear friends (... sorry...)! But I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. This is the point where I start taking in requests for alternate endings, so if you have any wishes, make sure to stand on the tallest mountain and yell as loud as you can (or just post it with your review - I guess it works too :D). Good night. /K._ ****

 **Flatiron District, 08.30 am, June 16** **th  
** Danny hurried inside and up the stairs as soon as Baez set the car in park. The collection of squad cars outside Jamie's apartment building had him worried even more, than the call from Abigail Baker. When he reached the correct floor and pushed through the door his eyes fell on Frank and Erin standing a bit down the hall, talking.  
"Dad? Erin? What's happening? Where's Jamie?" he called when he rushed past the open door to his brother's place. He did a perfect double take when he caught the mess and the many people inside. He looked inside at the wall, the spray of blood. His stomach turned and he had to swallow the lump in his throat.  
"Danny, something's going on," Erin said discouraged.  
"Damn right it is. Where's Jamie?" he asked again when he turned to look at them.  
"Yesterday, someone broke into my place and trashed, like that," she continued and made a motion with her hand, towards the open door. Baez came through the door to the stairs and walked up to join the trio.  
"Are you all right? What about Nicky?" he asked, suddenly more worried about her, than angry at her. She nodded distantly and tried to smile.  
"We weren't home, fortunately… but nothing was taken," she said, relieved.  
"And?" Danny pressed his sister to keep going. Erin hesitated.  
"She might have seen a car a couple of times earlier that day, a dark SUV with tinted windows," Frank continued for her. Danny's eyes flashed anger. "Officer Walsh remembered seeing a vehicle, matching the description, outside the precinct yesterday. According to her, Jamie excused himself when he spotted it and walked back to collect his wallet," Frank continued in his low key voice. Danny looked at them, squinted his eyes, thinking.  
"Jamie knew he was being followed? And you think this is connected to your place?" Danny asked and looked at Erin. "Are the two of you working on a case, or did I miss something?" he continued, now being more confused. Frank shook his head.  
"There's more, Danny," Erin said gently.  
"This morning Bellevue reported a body stolen," Frank said, watching Danny's reaction go from confused to clueless.  
"What does that have to do with this?" he asked, swinging his arms out, gesturing to Jamie's place.  
"It was David Garcia's body," Frank replied. Danny went quiet and rubbed his face. He started pacing, worrying about Jamie.  
"And Jamie?" he finally asked, letting go of the breath he had been holding on to since he ran up the stairs.  
"He rushed out of McNulty's last night, texted Renzulli and haven't been heard from since," Frank said, doing his best to keep his face in one piece. Not knowing his youngest son's whereabouts was torture. This was much worse, than the time he had wondered off alone, in the zoo and had been lost for two hours.  
"Have you tracked his cell?" Baez asked, when Danny had gone mute and paler.  
"No luck. It's either turned off or destroyed," Frank sighed. "Last ping was in the Meatpacking District," he continued.  
"I have to find him," Danny said, his level of energy restored.  
"No," Frank interjected. "You'll keep working the case. All of this began with David Garcia," Danny flashed him a look of anger but nodded quietly.  
"We'll solve the case and then find Jamie, what a great idea, dad," Danny growled at himself when he spun around on his heal and walked towards the stairs again.

 **Flatiron District, 10.00 pm, June 15** **th  
** Jamie was pushed up the stairs and he could do nothing but follow and stumble. The wider of the two men found the keys to the door in Jamie's pocket and let them in while the jacket held him upright and made sure he couldn't run. The door was closed behind them and Jamie was pressed up against the wall with an arm under his throat. The man turned to look at him when he found a pair of leather gloves in his pocket.  
"Make it easy, for yourself and tell me where it is, boy," the wider man said calmly with the heavy Russian accent. "When I take the tape off you, you'll behave and if you as much at think about screaming for help, Roman here will break your neck, _chisto_?" the man whispered.  
"Stas, what if he doesn't have it?" the leather jacket called Roman asked. Jamie quickly figured out, that Stat, the wider of the two, was the leader, but they also seemed like nothing but hired muscle.  
"We're narrowing it down. She didn't have it either, but she was scared. If this one don't have it, we can use him to get the card from the detective himself. Like a pyramid, Roma, remember?" Stas explained, very patient and ripped the piece of tape of Jamie's mouth without warning.  
"What are you talking about?" Jamie asked. He had started to panic when they had talked, quickly realizing they had been talking about Erin and Danny.  
"The memory card with the enhanced recipe, of course," Stas laughed with a smile.  
"Recipe?" Jamie asked, bewildered and hadn't been the least bit prepared for the well placed punch to his stomach. If he hadn't been strained against the wall he would have collapsed. He gasped for air with his eyes closed in pain and had to swallow a few times when the disgusting bile threatened to make an appearance. "I don't have it," he rasped when he got control over his breathing again. "I don't even know what recipe you are talking about," Jamie complained and breathed out shakily.  
"Very well," Stas replied and motioned for Roman to move a bit away. He let go of Jamie and Stas put a hand on his shoulder. "Where's the money, then?" he asked and Jamie glanced at him.  
"What money?" he asked hesitantly, expecting another punch. He didn't even have time to blink when Stas' left hand came around, mean and fast, and caught him square on the jaw. Jamie spun around and fell to the floor, dazed and panting. He could taste the blood in his mouth, wasn't sure where it came from, though. He felt a tiny prick on the side of his neck and he had to fight hard to stay awake. After a few moments, the dark had surrounded him and he faded in and out of consciousness a couple of times. He was moved, carried, left on the floor, his pockets were searched and the bits of conversation he caught, he couldn't understand.

 **Big Bus Tours, 09.00 am, June 16** **th  
** Danny was threading through the masses of tourists, clumped together around the ticket booth. He was pushed and glared at when he and Baez moved to the front of the line. He flashed his credentials and pulled the key and the ticket out from his pocket.  
"Detectives Reagan and Baez," he said, introducing themselves to the young girl behind the glass. "Is this one of yours?" he asked and handed her the slip of paper through the opening.  
"Yes, sir, purchased on Wednesday," she replied and handed it back.  
"Great, what about this? Do you have lockers or something for tourists personal belongings?" Danny continued when he showed her the key. She nodded again.  
"You can rent a locker for just two dollars, sir," the girl replied.  
"Would it be possible, if we could have a look at your surveillance videos?" Baez asked when Danny slid the ticket and the key back in his pocket.  
"Sure, let me make a call," she replied and lifted a phone. After a few minute they were collected by the administrator and followed him into a smaller room,  
"That would be the red tour on Wednesday, the older man said and took a seat in an old chair in front of two monitors. He clicked away for a few minutes until he found the right day and then sped through it.  
"There he is, go back," Danny said and pointed to the screen on the right. They watched David Garcia walk past the lockers, carrying a gym bag, until he stopped at one of them, opened the lowest of the three doors and fitted the bag into the locker.  
"Locker number one six two, I'll take you," the old man said and jumped to his feet. A few minutes later Danny opened the door and pulled out the bag. When he opened it, their eyes fell on wads of ten dollar bills, packed and ready. Danny leaned back on his heels and rubbed his face again. He could feel the next wave of headache sneak into his skull.  
"There has to be two million in here," Baez said when she rifled through the contents. Danny was thinking hard and sighed.  
"Let's go back to the precinct. We need a computer and a tech guy," he said when his mind screamed at him for getting a look at the memory card. It had to be connected to the money, Danny concluded. And why Garcia needed his help.

 **54** **th** **precinct, 11.00 am, June 16** **th  
** "You need the password, Reagan," the tech guy said after having worked on the card for some time.  
"Can't you just break into it?" Danny asked back, mildly irritated.  
"No, I can't find any windows… and to make it worse, you only have three guesses," the guy continued.  
"Windows?" Danny mumbled confused and shook his head.  
"Try 'Reagan'," Baez suggested but Danny shook his head again. It couldn't be that easy.  
"Go with 'Beatrice'," Danny said and sighed when nothing happened. "How about 'CJ'?" he asked, thinking back to Garcia's family. Nothing happened.  
"One last try, Detective," the tech guy warned.  
"It could be you, Danny? He did come to you for help, remember?" Baez said and Danny held his breath.  
"All right. Try 'Danny Reagan'," Danny mumbled. "NO!" he almost yelled when the tech guy typed. Both he and Baez jumped. "It's Michael Johnson," he said, convinced.  
"What? Who's that?" Baez asked, now totally last in confusion. Danny shrugged.  
"Long story, I'll tell you later," he explained absently as the tech guy hit enter. Nothing happened for a few moments until the screen changed and Danny smiled the first few seconds while they glanced at the screen. "What are we looking at?" he asked in wonder.  
"Beats me," the tech replied.  
"Looks like… chemistry…" Baez said and Danny sighed yet again.  
"Great. Another wall," he mumbled and ran a stressed out hand through his hair.

 **Somewhere in New York, 10.00 am, June 16** **th  
** Finally, Jamie could open his eyes and keep them open for longer than just a few seconds. He grunted absently and tried to lift his arm, but he couldn't move at all. He looked down and discovered his wrists were tied to the armrests of the old wooden chair he had been seated on. Like his ankles had been tied to its legs. He shook his head again, trying to clear his vaguely spotted vision. The room had a single window to his left and one behind him. Both of them were up high and too dirty to look through, but light came in and he could hear the city outside. To his right was a door where the door knob had been kicked off and in front of him was an empty table. The room smelled stuffy and the air was stale. He considered yelling for help, but thought better of it, when the door opened and a big, grey haired man walked through the door with a leather roll under his arm. When he stepped closer, Jamie could smell the alcohol in the man's breath. He leaved the roll on the table and looked at Jamie, curious and patient.  
"I don't have what you want," Jamie rasped and remembered how sore his jaw was. The older man nodded and walked over to the window behind Jamie.  
"Yes, yes, I figured, my friend," was his only reply.  
"You've kidnapped a police officer," Jamie stated calmly. "That's a federal crime, if you didn't know," he continued without looking at him. "That's twenty to life if the judge likes you," he tried but got no significant response.  
"I am aware, yes. I just need either my money or my merchandise. You choose," the man said when he walked around the chair and looked at Jamie before he turned to the table and spread out the leather roll.  
"I don't have it," Jamie repeated, this time with a sigh. "I don't even know what it is," he said hopelessly and looked at the man's back. He must have been the same size as his dad, he figured, but with more great hair and really blue eyes. The man leaned on the table for a moment and dropped his shoulders before he turned around.  
"You see, the seller wants his anonymity, right? So we communicated back and forth until I suggested using one of my very reliable guys," the man said and started walking around again. Jamie's eyes were fixed on the table, the leather roll which had been filled with many instruments in pockets. Jamie wouldn't even dare to guess what they were used for. Amongst the tools, he saw a hammer with teeth, a bottle opener and a stun gun. A chill ran down his spine. "I gave Garcia the payment, so he could exchange it for the recipe, but he let me down when he didn't return. Then I found out, that he met your brother and died," he continued with a shrug. " _Pozor_ ," he said and sighed. He didn't look like he cared much about it.  
"Why am I here?" Jamie asked, when he tore his eyes away from the table and glanced over his shoulder.  
"Good question," the man smiled when he stood behind Jamie and put a hand on his shoulder. "First, I thought I could exchange you for the money and the recipe, but I don't really trust another exchange. Then I thought, maybe the detective could be blackmailed, you know?" the man said. "If he didn't comply, then we would kill you and take the sister next," the man chuckled and walked to the door. He knocked twice and two men entered the room. One of them had a plastic bag in his hand. The other had a video camera attached to his wrist.  
"What's this?" Jamie asked and started to trash around as much as he could when the older man leaved the room and closed the door. The camera man took up stance in front of him, leaning on the table while the other walked around the chair and waited behind Jamie's back. "Don't do this…" Jamie said, jerking his legs and pulling his arms.  
" _Gotov_?" the man with the bag asked. The camera man shook his head and fiddled with the camera.  
" _Sekundochku_..." he replied and Jamie heard the camera zoom. " _Khorosho_ ," he said a few seconds later. Jamie panicked when the plastic bag was jerked over his head.


	10. Chapter 9

_AN - Hello! I hope I haven't spoiled you too much, but here's another chapter for you. With a bit more 'go, Danny, go' in it :) I hope you like it. There's not too many chapters left and maybe you could give me a hint with my next fanfic? (Check out my profile page for more.) Enjoy this chapter and remember - leave a review with constructive criticism. I know I could do Erin and Linda a lot better, already, but I think I might be a little bit ooc. with Jamie and Frank this time. What do you think? /K._ ****

 **54** **th** **precinct, 11.30 am, June 16** **th  
** Danny sunk down in his chair with a sigh and rubbed his face. The squad room was almost empty in the weekends. Baez was running around, looking for someone to translate the chemicals into English, so they knew what this was about. Coffee. He needed coffee, he thought and had just decided to get up and make some when his phone buzzed. He fished out his phone and looked at the text in puzzlement. It was nothing but a link, sent from a blocked number. He leaned to the computer and typed it in.  
" _Spasi menya_?" he read aloud when he hit enter. Then his blood froze when a window popped up with Jamie. Sitting in a chair, tied up and with panic in his eyes. He had to clamp a hand over his mouth and swallow hard when a clear plastic bag was pulled down over his head. Jamie started trashing around and trying to avoid the death grip but little could he do, when tied up and escaping didn't look like a possibility. He could see Jamie's knuckles going white and Danny felt his jaw tense up and a chill run down his spine when his kid brother's movements decreased. Just as Danny was sure, that Jamie wouldn't survive, the plastic bag was torn off and Jamie inhaled greedily and coughed and spluttered. Danny let go of the breath he had been holding on to for dear life. The video stopped and Danny had to collect himself before looking at the screen again. Just below the window was a single line with words. ' _Hand over the money and the recipe. You will be contacted with place and time._ ' Once again, he grabbed his phone and hesitated for a moment. He pulled out the drawer, grabbed his weapon and jogged to the lift. He texted his partner, saying he needed to have another look on the files he had at home.

 **Staten Island, 12.00 pm, June 16** **th  
** Alexandr watched the car back out of the drive way. He'd been waiting all morning for the wife and kids to leave. He had even made up his mind, that if they hadn't left by lunch, he would go in anyway, rough them up and give the detective a scare. He sunk down lower in his seat so he wouldn't be seen when the car drove by. After that, he waited another five minutes before he slid out of the car and walked up the driveway, like he owned the place. It wouldn't be hard to break into the place, the backdoor would be the easiest. That had been decided when he'd cased the house last night. He moved around the back and looked around before he discreetly punched his elbow through the small window next to the handle. He cleared the broken glass away and reached in. Four seconds later, he closed the door silently behind him and looked around for a second. He ran through the kitchen and up the stairs in search for the master bedroom. He was rifling through drawers when a noise made him freeze and hold his breath. He heard a door being opened and closed. Footsteps. He turned around, ordering himself not to panic. He tiptoed to the hallway and grabbed the gun from the small of his back. Better safe than dead. He hadn't encountered anyone to come home, but he would make it work. He heard the footsteps jog up the stairs and pushed through a door on his right. A teenage boy's room, with football posters all over the walls. He peered out through the crack in the door and saw the detective himself walk down the hallway to the master bedroom while loosening his tie. He would see the mess, definitely. And then make a call. Alexandr couldn't let him do that, so he slipped out of the door and was ready to make a grab for the detective when he spun around. Danny had heard a faint rustle and jumpy as he was, he quickly turned around and was met by an angry looking man, charging him like a steamroller with a gun in his hand. Danny moved fast and pulled his gun. He had time enough to release a single shot, but he didn't know if it had hit the man. Both of them tumbled to the ground with Danny on his back. Both of them had dropped their guns as they fought in the narrow hallway. Danny took a good amount of punches to his upper body before he could throw a left hook himself. The man stumbled backwards, shaking his head before Danny jumped him. More punches were delivered, both of them ducking and dodging before attacking again. Suddenly the ground disappeared under them and they plummeted down the stairs in a chaos of limbs and grunts. Danny let out a yelp when he landed awkwardly on his shoulder, sending a white hot sting of pain down to his fingers in his right hand. The man was quicker on his feet because Danny had taken most of the fall for him. Danny let out another deep felt howl of pain when he was rolled onto his stomach and cuffed with his own handcuffs.  
"You have it?" Alexandr asked the groaning detective, who didn't reply. He didn't have any more time to search the house. Someone must have heard the gunshot and the police must be on the way. They had to disappear before that happened, he thought and heaved the detective up by his left arm. Then it was his turn to cry out in pain when Danny kicked his knee so it crunched and bend the other way, clearly snapped over clean. Danny shouldered the man and both of them crashed through the railing on the stairs, panting and huffing. They tumbled around the floor, the man punching angrily at Danny until they heard approaching sirens. Alexandr pushed himself away and to his feet before he limped out of the front door, just as Danny heard the screeching tires from the squad cars outside. He began chuckling when he heard the man being ordered to his knees. The chuckle excelled into a crazy, hesitant laughter that had almost died out when a patrolman walked through the door, gun raised. He looked at Danny, lying on the bottom of the stairs, hands cuffed behind him, a sleeve almost ripped off and blood trickling down from his eyebrow.  
"Detective…" he mumbled, when he saw the gold shield on Danny's belt.  
"Get your ass over here and unlock these cuffs," Danny wheezed, grimacing of the pain in his shoulder. "Nice timing, by the way," he acknowledged when the patrolman took the cuffs on him. Danny hugged his right arm close, when he was helped to his feet.

 **54** **th** **precinct, 01.00 pm, June 16** **th  
** "I have no words," Erin simply stated with a lost expression in her face. Frank was silent besides her, looking through the glass at his son with his arm in a sling, yelling at the other one, who was cuffed to the table and had a blood spotted dressing on his upper arm. Frank had told her about the latest development, the video of Jamie, the fight in Danny's house, the two million dollars and the chemicals which were referred to as the recipe. Erin had almost started crying, when she had seen the clip but it turned into anger when she saw the state that Danny was in. Luckily, Linda and the boys hadn't been in the house. Oh, she wouldn't want to be Danny when Linda returned. By Frank's phone call to his daughter-in-law, she knew Linda was furious. And a furious Reagan could only be defeated by a furious Reagan woman.  
"I want my lawyer!" the cuffed Alexandr yelled again, his Russian accent edgy and rough.  
"Stuck in traffic. Where's my brother?" Danny yelled back and grabbed the man by the wound on his arm, trying really hard to scare him.  
"Police brutality!" he screamed and Danny let go in fury. He pulled the empty chair to the door and fixed it under the door handle. Then he closed the blinds hastily and turned back to the Russian.  
"You've kidnapped and tortured an NYPD officer, MY brother, and then you think you can scream police brutality," Danny growled with hot anger flashing in his eyes. "You've got thirty five thousands men and women in blue gunning for your throat right now, so I can teach you a thing or two about police brutality!" Danny continued and grabbed a fistful of Alexandr's hair and pressed his head to the table and leaned in close. He pressed on, even when someone started pulling and yanking in the door. "You are going to rotten up in prison, my friend, and I'll personally make sure, that every day you spend in there, will be a living hell for you. I bet all the Russians upstate would love to get to know you when I tell them, that you've been most helpful. You won't even get out to see the yellow cabs be replaced by flying spaceships, you moron!" he threatened.  
"It wasn't me! I never laid a hand on him, I swear, that's not on me!" he suddenly cried out. Danny let go of his hair and breathed out slowly.  
"Start talking, asshole," Danny replied in a growl and had to concentrate on not punching the teeth out of him.  
"I want a deal!" Alexandr declared and Danny pinched the bridge of his nose.  
"You don't deserve a deal," he replied, eerily calm, but the look in his eyes was enough to make the Russian talk without a deal. Five minutes later, he removed the chair and rushed out of the room. Frank and Erin caught up with him at his desk.  
"Garcia double crossed the Russians, because he found out what was on the memory card," Danny explained to them. "That's why he contacted me," he continued and holstered his weapon before he called his partner. "Baez… those chemicals are instructions on how to enhance and lengthen the effects of cocaine," he said when she replied and then gave her a brief summary. He glanced at Erin and Frank next to him. "Yeah, I'll text you an address," he finished.  
"Cocaine?" Erin asked and Danny nodded.  
"Yeah, they could have doubled their clientele with that, and caused just as many overdoses," Danny snarled.  
"I guess, two million is a drop in the ocean when they start profiting," Frank commented.  
"You want to come knock some doors down?" Danny asked and Frank shook his head.  
"Pops and the kids are waiting in my office," the commissioner replied and Danny nodded.  
"Be careful, Danny, and bring Jamie back," Erin said before the detective rushed away. She was amazed on how he could handle all of this on top of a concussion.

 **Charles Lane, 02.00 pm, June 16** **th  
** Danny parked his car behind the cluster of police cars. His shoulder was killing him. His dislocated shoulder had only been replaced by a paramedic and then put in a sling, back at the house. He could feel the ache all the way down to his pinky and ring finger on his right hand. He exited the car, grabbed a vest and jogged up to Baez who had been coordinating everything with the ESU captain. Danny greeted them with a nod.  
"Where are we at?" he asked when Baez looked him over. He maneuvered his hurt arm into the bulletproof vest, carefully and impatient.  
"Are you sure, you are feeling all right, Reagan?" she asked, suspiciously when she noticed his paler than normal face.  
"Yeah, are we ready to go?" he asked, whisking the question away.  
"Building is surrounded, nothing in or out since we've got eyes on the place. But there is some heavy activity in there, two dozen bodies on the thermal camera," she replied and Danny nodded.  
"Let's go," he muttered and drew his weapon. Baez relayed the order into the radio when they advanced on the building. On three, the door was kicked open and Danny followed inside with Baez on his six. The building, big enough to park a small truck inside was scattered with single tables. At each table, a woman was measuring, packing, labeling and bagging small amounts of white powder. The single two guards on duty were quickly apprehended before they even laid eyes on their weapons. The building was cleared. No Jamie. "Haul their sorry asses to the 54th. I want to question them," Danny ordered and looked at the two guards.

 **Somewhere in New York, 02.30 pm, June 16** **th  
** Once again, the door was opened and Jamie looked up, ready for another beating or oxygen deprivation. He already disliked the hammer. It had caused much damage to his thigh with just a couple of swings from the one called Roman. Jamie could even feel the swelling under his jeans and the thumping streaming all the way down to his foot. The two guys, Roman and Stas, walked in, laughing at a joke they had just exchanged.  
"Your brother is a very big pain in the ass," Stas said and laughed again. Jamie chuckled and nodded, knowingly.  
"I could have told you that," he said and looked at them curiously when Roman grabbed the back of the chair and leaned in over Jamie's shoulder before he slid a knife out of his pocket. Jamie's heart skipped a beat when the tip of the blade touched the soft spot behind his ears. Then the man leaned down and cut the restraints on Jamie's ankles and then his wrists. Jamie caught a glance of Stas, when he slid the stun gun in his pocket.  
"Time for you to take a walk," Stas laughed when they heaved him up. Jamie stumbled when he was almost carried down a hallway.


	11. Chapter 10

_AN - Hello! Next chapter will be the last - any particular wishes? Let me know. Remember to let me know, which of the titles in my profile you like the most for the the next fic. (psst - one of them is Eddiecentric - don't tell anyone). Thank you all for reading - I'm totally in love with all your reviews. I hope I kept you on your toes throughout this storyline. FYI - I'm going on a vacation next week, so there might not be any updates, but who knows. Have a nice weekend. Enjoy. /K._

 **54** **th** **precinct, 03.00 pm, June 16** **th** _ **  
**_"They don't know anything," Danny grunted and sunk down into his chair, carefully. He was good at taking punches, but either he was getting old or just out of practice. Maybe both, his upper body hurt like hell. Baez looked up from her computer.  
"Tech guys says they can locate the tower from the link. They should be able to give us a hint in half an hour. The phone was a bust and the workers from the building didn't know anything, some of them didn't even speak English," Baez said with a sigh.  
"What about Alexandr?" Danny asked and Baez shook her head.  
"Nothing but a parking ticket. And a broken knee," Baez shrugged.  
"Let's push him a little bit more," Danny said and got to his feet. If there was anything left to squeeze out of the man, Danny would find some way to do it.  
"Don't cross the line," Baez said from her seat. "We need to make this case stick for the trial," she called after him but didn't get a reply. Danny was already on his way down to the holding cell. He grabbed his phone from his pocket when it buzzed angrily at him.  
"Reagan," he replied in his usual manner, but a bit more tired.  
" _Thank God, Danny, are you all right?_ " Linda asked, obviously relieved to hear her husband's voice.  
"Yeah, I'm fine… a little banged up, but nothing I can't handle. I'm sorry, I scared you, Linda," Danny replied and started to relax.  
" _Great,_ " Linda said. Her tone made Danny cringe, like he had forgot something.  
"What's wrong?" he asked carefully came to a halt.  
" _It's nothing… I'm just looking at bullet hole in the wall… but I'm happy that you are okay, because you are going to fix it along with the stairs,_ " she said and Danny remembered all the damage to the house.  
"I'll get right on it when Jamie's home safe and sound, honey," Danny said with a sigh.  
" _I know you will… be careful, Danny. I want to have a word with you, in one piece, after this nightmare,_ " Linda said with concern in her voice. " _You'll find him, Danny, I know you will,_ " she continued, hoping to cheer Danny up a little.  
"Thanks, Linda, I love you," he replied and started walking again.  
" _Love you back,_ " Linda replied and ended the call.

 **One Police Plaza, 03.00 pm, June 16** **th  
** The atmosphere in the commissioner's office was thick and heavy like one of Henry's homemade stews. Except those smelled a lot better.  
"When is Uncle Jamie coming home?" Jack asked from his corner of the couch. Henry looked at the kid for a second before shrugging.  
"I don't know, Jack. Your dad is doing his best to find him," the oldest Reagan replied.  
"But why do we have to stay in here?" Sean quipped, clearly just as impatient as his dad. He had taken a seat in the chair behind the desk and looked real small compared to Frank, when he was sitting there.  
"Because this is the safest place for you, right now," Henry replied. He knew, that Frank and Danny were the ones to decide it and it had been a good call. Especially with those Russian bastards out there. They had trashed Erin, Jamie and Danny's places, not to mention they had grabbed Jamie. Nicky was trying to concentrate on the book she had pulled out of the bookcase in the far wall, but once again, she lowered it with a sigh.  
"What will happen to them, when Uncle Danny finds Uncle Jamie?" she asked and looked to the oldest Reagan. For a second time Henry shrugged, but he left the question unanswered. The door opened and Frank stepped in with Baker right behind her.  
"Get Sergeant Renzulli and Officer Janko up here for a personal update in the conference room. Tell Garrett, that he'll handle the media by himself," he said while he took of his jacket.  
"Yes, Sir, anything else?" Baker inquired and glanced around the room, on each of the younger Reagan's.  
"If mayor Poole calls, please tell him I'm unavailable, thank you," Frank replied and caught a glance of a smile on her face before is disappeared. She nodded and left, closing the door after her. Frank left his jacket on the coat hanger and sighed when he put his hands in his pockets and headed for the couch, where he took a seat on the armrest.  
"The press is having a field day, Francis?" Henry asked, already knowing how the headlines would sound. Frank only nodded when he took a seat in the couch.  
"Garrett can handle them," came the huffed response.  
"Greedy, bloodsucking bastards," Henry grunted in response, hardly audible.  
"Pops," Frank admonished his father and shot the kids a glance. They didn't seem to notice though or didn't care. They had other things to worry about.

 **54** **th** **precinct, 03.30 pm, June 16** **th  
** "Baez," Danny called when he rushed to his desk and grabbed his weapon from the drawer. "He gave up another address. He didn't think of it before, because it hasn't been used in a long time," he continued.  
"Solid?" she asked and grabbed her jacket from the back of the chair.  
"I bet it is. It would be a perfect place to hold a prisoner," Danny said and ignored the chill running down his back when they ran down the stairs. Baez answered her phone when it shrilled in her pocket.  
"Baez… great… where?.. Thanks," was all she said before dialing her phone for another call. "I asked a friend to take a look at the cctv outside the 12th. Found a car that matches Officer Walsh's statement. I put a BOLO out and a patrol just spotted it on Washington Street in Tribeca," she said when they entered the car and Danny sped out on the street.  
"Have ESU meet us on the corner of Vestry Street," Danny said, swerving to avoid the heavy Saturday traffic while grabbing his own phone to make a call.  
" _Danny, you got something?_ " Frank answered after the first ring.  
"Yeah, an address and a SUV matching the description outside. We're headed there, now…" Danny replied and swore under his breath when he had to turn sharply.  
" _I'm on my way, be careful,_ " Frank said and Danny grunted.  
"I don't think, that's an option, dad," he replied and ended the call.

 **Somewhere in New York, 04.00 pm, June 16** **th  
** Jamie collapsed in front of the camera, breathing hard and squirming. He had been hustled through the garage and into the office and soon after, Roman and Stas had cleared he room so they could make another video. And to make it all a little bit better, Stas had punched him a couple of times, so he was sporting a nosebleed and a split lip. The stun gun had left him dazed and woozy but he still registered the movement in front of him. The old man with the grey hair pushed through the door and Jamie caught a glance of the cars outside. Some of them where on the ground, others were waiting to be fixed six feet up in the air. "They must have Alexandr," he growled and grabbed the stun gun from Roman and the camera from Stas. He turned the stun gun in his hand. It didn't go unnoticed, that the two goons were terrified of the older man. "No calls and the raid of my stock, _blyad_ ," the older man raged and left leaved the video camera on the on the table. He turned to look at Jamie on the floor but his eyes flashed to the door, when he heard sirens, just outside the garage. " _Idti!_ " he yelled at Roman and Stas and they left the office in the back and drew their weapons from their waistbands. The corner of Jamie's mouth twitched but he didn't have the strength to move. Being zapped with a stun gun was much worse than being shot with a taser in the academy. The older man closed the door and froze when he heard the garage doors being opened with yells and threats before the shooting started. He grabbed Jamie and hauled him to his feet, backed up in the corner when the shooting stopped.  
"Danny!" Jamie called out and grunted when the old man jabbed a gun into the crook of his neck.

 **Vestry Street, 04.00 pm, June 16** **th  
** "Go, go, go!" Danny yelled in the radio, signaling everybody to move ahead. Danny and Baez followed suit behind the ESU guys when they breached the door. All of them started yelling commands to the half a dozen men inside, hiding behind the cars. The yelling was swiftly exchanged with the amplified barks of weapons when the first shots were fired. Danny let go of a salve of his own, hitting a big, ugly man in the chest. He could feel the recoil sting in his opposite shoulder even without using that arm at all. The shooting was over, just as fast as it had begun, and Danny moved in closer, kicking weapons away when he heard the familiar voice. It was muffled by the door and Danny still had ringing in his ears.  
" _Danny!_ " Jamie's voice, no question about it.  
"Over here," Danny yelled to the others who looked up. Danny approached the back office, with Baez and a few of the EDU guys in tow. They took up stance outside the door, and Baez pushed it wide open. Danny's eyes fell on his kid brother's bloody face, standing as a shield in front of a grey haired man that had a gun pressed into the spot, just behind Jamie's ear.  
"Put your weapons down, Detective!" the grey haired man yelled and pushed himself deeper into the corner.  
"Let him go, Damir!" Danny yelled back, not taking his aim of the older man.  
"Take another step, and your brother will die!" Damir yelled. Jamie, pinned in the middle, locked eyes with his brother and swallowed. He gave him a tiny nod, hardly moving at all and Danny responded with the same movement. The second after, he took a step back and lifted his left hand in the air. He couldn't even move the other one because of the shoulder.  
"All right, all right, stand down," Danny said, and glanced quickly over his shoulder, before looking back at Jamie. "Lower your weapons," he said, still talking to the officers behind him.  
"Nice and easy, put them on the ground," Damir snickered and pressed the gun even harder to Jamie. Jamie closed his eyes for a second before locking onto Danny's again. Danny was leaning down to put his weapon on the ground, like the others behind him.  
"Just let him go, Damir. I have what you want right here in my pocket just… please, don't hurt my family," Danny said quietly. Jamie let his knees buckle and he twisted himself out of the Damir's death grip, away from the gun. The Russian roared and heaved the weapon towards the door. Danny, who had just let go of his weapon grabbed it again and fired two shots, hitting the man square in the chest. He staggered, dropped the gun and fell to his knees. More yelling came from the garage when Danny ran across the office. "Jamie…" he called. Damir had tilted forward and landed across Jamie's sprawled figure on the floor with a thump. Danny and Baez pushed the dead weight off him and Baez checked the body before calling for the paramedics.  
"I'm fine…" Jamie hissed when Danny ran his hand over him.  
"Are you hurt?" Danny asked, when he helped Jamie sit up against the wall.  
"Just a nosebleed," Jamie said with a shaky breath and leaned his head back against the wall. Danny laughed tensely.  
"You don't think, you're underestimating?" Danny replied sarcastically and sunk to the floor next to him. Jamie shrugged a response.  
"Took you long enough, Danny," he with a hesitant smile, still sounding relieved.  
"Had some business to take care of…" Danny replied.  
"You mean, you had a few heads to break?" Jamie asked and tilted his head to look at his brother. Danny smiled, gratefully.  
"Exactly," he replied with and got to his feet. He hauled Jamie up and supported him all the way outside because of the still throbbing pain in his leg. He didn't even resist when Danny helped him get up on the gurney. Only a few seconds after he had leaned back and closed his eyes, he opened them again when he heard Erin call his name. He saw her push through the crowds that had gathered with Frank in tow. Both of them smiled when they got close enough to see Jamie's smile through the blood.  
"It's not as bad as it looks, trust me," Jamie said before they could say anything.  
"You can trust Jamie to say that, even if his arms fell off," Danny said and put a hand on Jamie's shoulder.  
"I guess, you did a good job on toughing me up, when we were younger," Jamie laughed and closed his eyes again.  
"Can you tell us what happened, son?" Frank asked and Jamie sighed and thought for a moment before summarizing it all.  
"I noticed a car following me around on tour yesterday. They grabbed me outside McNulty's and took me back to my place. Kept asking for a memory card. I think they might have drugged me, next thing I know I wake up tied to a chair in a basement. Then they brought me here and you know the rest," he said.  
"We have to get him to the hospital, Sir," one of the paramedics said and shortly after Jamie was wheeled into the bus.  
"I'm coming with you, kid," Danny said, and climbed into the back. He glanced at Frank and Erin before closing the door.


	12. Epilogue

_AN - Hello! Last chapter! Just to wrap this ordeal up. I hope you liked this story (a continuation is in progress - which explains the abrupt ending - couldn't reveal too much). Be on the look out for my next works; 'Once in a Blue Moon' and the follow up on this one, which had yet to be named. Thanks for reading. Enjoy, review... /K._

 **Camp Baharia,** **Al Anbar, Iraq, November 2004**

"Take cover!" a voice yelled after the first burst of bullets flew across the square. The whole platoon dived to the ground, all of them reacting on the sound of gunfire, rather than the two words. Danny pressed himself towards the low wall he was hiding behind when he heard the first salve of return fire from his guys.

"Multiple shooters, east and north rooftops!" another man yelled. Danny orientated himself and turned around, still crouching. He popped up, with his rifle ready and let out a burst of three shells before a bullet whizzed past his ear and he dropped down to the ground again. Danny caught a glance of a terrified Michael Price to his right and David Garcia further away, both of them taking cover. Either of them had never been pinned down before or actually been shot at. Danny started making his way over there when his vision blurred and the ground shook under him. Everything and everyone in front of him disappeared into the air and he couldn't see anything because of the dust. He called their names, couldn't even hear his own voice. He scooted back as another explosion hit and he returned fire with a roar from his throat. His left arm started to burn inexplicably but he didn't care. He threw himself down lower and reached for another magazine. Through the ringing in his ears and the screaming from his friends, he heard someone yell, but he couldn't make out the words. Only a moment before the hit, Danny realized it had only been a three-letter abbreviation. He ducked down lower, covered his head with his arms and felt himself being lifted from the ground by the pressure wave from the RPG.

 **Bay Ridge, 06.00 pm, June 17** **th**

"Amen," say all said in unison before they started passing the food around.

"When do you go back to work, Jamie?" Erin asked and glanced at her brother.

"In three days," Jamie replied when he placed a piece of meat on his plate.

"Cheap bastards," Henry huffed.

"What would have happened to the Russian, if Uncle Danny hadn't killed him?" Nicky asked and Erin looked at her with strict eyes.

"Did you kill him, dad?" Jack and Sean asked at the same time.

"Boys," Linda tried to admonish them with a sigh. It wasn't exactly appropriate talk for her two boys.

"Yeah, I had to," Danny said, afflicted, between two mouthfuls of broccoli, his right arm still in a sling.

"It's not like he had a choice," Jamie quipped and locked eyes with his brother across the table for a moment.

"If you ask me, he got what he deserved," Henry chipped in from the end of the table.

"He would have a fair trial and then he would be sent to prison for what he did," Erin replied to Nicky's question, a bit reserved

"And if you didn't kill him?" Jack asked and looked at his dad.

"Then my partner would have killed him, when he shot me and your Uncle Jamie," Danny replied after swallowing.

"Danny," Linda said, blamingly.

"What? It true," Danny said, going all in on the defense.

"I probably wouldn't be here today, if Danny hadn't pulled the trigger," Jamie said and sipped at his glass. His two nephews looking at him, mixed looks in their eyes.

"Amen to that," Henry mumbled and reached for his wine glass. They all went quiet for a few moments.

"You don't have a say in this, dad?" Erin asked when she noticed how silent he had been. Frank cleared his throat and put down his fork.

"As the commissioner, I'm proud of my men and women's work. As a dad…" he paused a bit, looking around the table. "… I'm happy that both of my sons returned to this table," he said with all eyes on him. "The truth is, that no parent should have to outlive their children and what happened yesterday could easily have gone wrong," Frank said when he reached for the butter to the lump of bread on his plate. He knew what they were all thinking about, just now.

"Joe would have been proud of the two of you," Erin said, breaking the silence and looking at her two brothers. Both of them replied with a silent nod and a smile.

"Someone still has to fix the railing on the stairs," Linda commented, dryly, and all but Nicky and the boys laughed.

"I'll get right on it, as soon as I can move my arm again," Danny said with a smile and leaned over to kiss his wife on the cheek.

"What happened to the railing on the stairs, Uncle Danny?" Nicky asked.

 **Staten Island, 10.30 pm, June 17** **th**

Linda walked down the stairs, still looking at the broken railing, but relieved.

"Finally," she sighed and grabbed the glass of wine she had left on the coffee table, next to Danny's beer. She let herself fall down on the couch next to her husband and enjoyed the silence when he put his arm around her shoulders.

"We need a vacation," Danny stated and planted a kiss on the top of Linda's head.

"What do you have in mind, Fitzgerald?" Linda asked, using Danny's middle name to tease him, sipping at the wine.

"I'm thinking, you and me, next weekend in a fancy hotel, where we don't even have to get out of bed," Danny said and pulled her closer.

"Mhmm? What about the stairs?" Linda asked, snuggling in closer and pulled her feet up.

"I'll take care of it," he replied.

"And the boys?" she inquired.

"They've been begging for a sleepover at Gramps for a few weeks, now," Danny replied casually and planted another kiss behind her ear.

"It's a done deal, then. I'll get it sorted out with the hospital," Linda said and sipped at her wine again. They sat in silence for a little while, enjoying each others company when Danny spoke again.

"Don't you think the steps need a polish, while we're at it?" he asked and Linda turned around to look at him with a smile on her face and furrowed eye brows. "Or oil? Whatever works," Danny continued with his gaze on the stairs. It had been a narrow escape, he admitted. One of his closest calls yet. Of gratitude, he pulled Linda in closer and held her tight in his arms.


End file.
